B55 Chapter 9 - Employment

Achieving Full Employment

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9.1

The Structure Plan estimates that land and buildings must be provided to accommodate a requirement of 64,000 additional jobs in the County between 1988 and 2006, but this figure is not broken down to cover North Norfolk alone. This requirement takes account of forecast increases in the population of working age and economic activity rates, and assumes a reduction in unemployment to 2%. However, it does not take account of job losses arising from technological and structural changes that are constantly occurring; such losses up to 2006 are unknown but could be considerable.

9.2

Some of the additional 64,000 jobs will be in a variety of public and personal services, such as schools, hospitals, hotels, restaurants, shops and banks, for which no specific land allocation is made in the Local Plan. Instead, these employment generating uses are dealt with elsewhere in the Local Plan on the basis of the services that they provide. The rest of the jobs will be in business, industry, storage and distribution for which provision related to employment potential does need to be made. The term 'business' refers to Class B1 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as amended. The Business Use Class combines offices whose services are not primarily intended for members of the visiting public, research and development uses and traditional light industry. Other offices, whose services are provided principally to visiting members of the public and therefore are appropriate in shopping areas, are grouped under the Financial and Professional Services Use Class (Class A2).

9.3

The employment policies of the Local Plan are aimed at providing sufficient land and floor space for business, general industrial, storage and distribution uses in order to achieve full employment. In monitoring the adequacy of land provision, the Structure Plan considers a 'frictional' unemployment rate of 2% (i.e. approximately the lowest level of unemployment the labour market is capable of sustaining without producing a detrimental impact on the total economy as a consequence of skill-shortage -induced wage inflation) to represent full employment. The unemployment rate for North Norfolk District in February 1998 approximated to 4.6% (1,874 people). See Fig. 13.

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Employment Promotion

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Economic Development Strategy

9.4

The Council wishes to encourage growth and diversification in the local economy in ways that will enhance the quality of rural life in North Norfolk without detracting from the amenity and character of the environment. The Local Plan addresses these issues through policies that relate to the use of land for employment purposes. However, the Council has also been actively promoting new employment developments in North Norfolk by other means, and each year it produces a strategy on the use of its enabling powers to promote economic development in the District. This 'Economic Development Strategy' is a statement of the Council's aims and proposals for employment promotion and is prepared in consultation with local commerce and industry.

Rural Development Area

9.5

Rural Development Area status is designated by the Rural Development Commission and the current boundaries came into force in April 1994. All of North Norfolk is identified as a Rural Development Area, into which the Rural Development Commission concentrates its resources in order to promote rural jobs and communities. For each Rural Development Area a 'Rural Development Programme' is prepared. This is intended to provide a mechanism by which all interested parties can work together to identify particular needs and priorities for action. In North Norfolk the Commission has, in conjunction with English Estates (now English Partnerships) and the Council, built a variety of 'starter' and workshop units for rent to business. The Commission also encourages the reuse of buildings for employment generating uses and can provide grants towards the cost of such works.

Assisted Area Status

9.6

The Great Yarmouth Travel to Work Area (TTWA) was designated as an Assisted Area by the Government in 1993. Ten parishes in the south-east of North Norfolk lie in this area (see Fig. 14). The TTWA has been designated as an Assisted Area because of its high unemployment rates and because employment is characterised by low pay and short-term jobs. In order to create and safeguard jobs and improve the provision of basic services to encourage the development of industry, the Government offers funding support through regional selective assistance. This status is currently the subject of a review and it is expected that a new Assisted Areas map will be agreed by the summer of 1999.

East Anglia Objective 5b Area

9.7

On 21 January 1994 the European Union resolved to award Objective 5(b) status to four parts of East Anglia in recognition of the serious economic difficulties associated with relatively high agricultural dependency, low incomes and low population densities found in these particular areas. Parts of the south-west of North Norfolk lie within one of these areas. Objective 5b has as its overall objective:

'promoting rural development by... facilitating the development and structural adjustment of rural areas'.

9.8

Since designation a number of public and private sector initiatives have been taken forward within the designated area of North Norfolk. These have sought to support the diversification of the local economy through capital investment in employment land and industrial premises, townscape improvements, skills training and business development initiatives, improving the stock of tourist accommodation and promoting farm diversification. These projects will provide lasting benefits to the area and funding support will continue to be available for eligible projects under the Objective 5b Programme until December 1999, when the current European Structural Funds programmes come to an end. Negotiations are currently taking place to identify those parts of the European Union which will benefit from Structural Fund support beyond January 2000; but while a case is currently being made for parts of North Norfolk to benefit from such status, no decisions in this respect are likely to be taken before the summer of 1999.

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Employment Land Supply

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9.9

A supply of land must be clearly identified to facilitate industrial and commercial development which will generate the number of jobs needed by North Norfolk's population. Furthermore, it is important that a good variety of sites is identified to meet the different practical needs of the users and thereby encourage a diversity of employment enterprises. Such an approach will help to broaden the economic base of North Norfolk and make it more resistant to adverse changes in the structure of employment activity. It is also consistent with the advice in the Government's PPG on 'Industrial and Commercial Development and Small Firms' (PPG 4), published in November 1992.

9.10

In order to give an indication of future employment land needs in the District, the Council has made the following forecast. During the nine-year period to January 1993, 22.1 ha (55 acres) of employment land were taken up in North Norfolk, of which 19.5 ha (48 acres) were developed for commercial or industrial use. Over the same period employment in the District increased by an estimated 3,040 employees. It was also estimated that the number of residents who are either employed or unemployed would rise by 2,800 between January 1993 and the end of the Local Plan period. Assuming a frictional unemployment rate of 2% and current patterns of commuting, the Council has therefore concluded that an additional 30.4 ha (75 acres) of employment land are required by the year 2006.

9.11

However, the Council also wishes to reduce the growth in the number and length of car-based journeys to work so as to accord with PPG 13. In 1993 it was estimated that approximately 20% of employed persons living in North Norfolk commuted to work destinations outside the District. Consequently, if the growth in the economically active population and reduction in unemployment mentioned in paragraph 9.10 (above) are to be accommodated by new jobs located exclusively within the District, then there will be a total requirement for 38.0 ha of employment land instead of 30.4 ha. The total allocation of 36.1 ha set out in Policy 72: Proposed General Employment Areas, coupled with approximately 5.0 ha of undeveloped employment land existing in 1993, therefore fully addresses the needs of the expected increase in the number of employees between 1993 and the end of the Local Plan period. It also provides for a small reduction in the level of commuting to destinations outside the District which existed in 1993.

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General Employment Areas

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Existing General Employment Areas

9.12

The recognised industrial areas and estates throughout North Norfolk play an important role in the local economy. They have been designated as General Employment Areas in order to seek their optimum use for employment purposes. The designation of such areas will also help to create a climate of confidence for investors contemplating development or redevelopment for employment generating uses.

Proposed General Employment Areas

9.13

Proposed General Employment Areas have been identified on the following basis:

• the estimated need for additional employment land during the Local Plan period;

• the development strategy of the Local Plan; and

• the availability of land which is not subject to significant development constraints.

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Employment in Villages

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9.14

The Council is concerned at the continuing loss of general employment activity in villages which, along with reductions in agricultural employment, is contributing to the decline of independent rural communities and the creation of dormitory settlements. Consequently, the Council wishes to ensure that employment opportunities in villages are maintained and increased in order to help preserve the vitality of rural communities, while still conserving the character of the villages and their settings.

9.15

Although General Employment Areas are identified in the villages of Catfield, Hoveton and Melton Constable, it is considered that there is a need for further employment land and buildings to be identified in other villages in order to promote a wider spread of economic activity throughout North Norfolk. Consequently, the Council has designated a number of Village Employment Areas where development of land for small-scale employment generating uses will be encouraged, and where proposals for non-employment generating uses will be unacceptable. The Village Employment Areas have been identified in those villages where there are strong employment traditions, where businesses can draw upon a suitable local workforce from the village and its surrounding area, and where new employment development can be accommodated without detriment to the appearance and character of the village and its setting. Most Village Employment Areas are currently occupied by established employment generating uses, many of which are traditional rural businesses employing local people. Village Employment Areas will therefore help to maintain the vitality of rural communities and provide businesses with attractive alternative locations to congested towns and cities.

Other Land with Established Employment Generating Uses

9.16

Many firms within North Norfolk operate from premises located outside designated General and Village Employment Areas and Town Centres, in areas where other land uses predominate. These are often called 'non-conforming uses', and they frequently operate without causing disturbance to their surroundings. Collectively, established non-conforming uses make a significant contribution to the number of jobs and to the variety of premises available to firms. Most of these enterprises cause no significant environmental problems and it is reasonable that they should remain in their present locations. In the minority of cases where there are significant problems the expansion of the firms concerned will be strictly controlled and they will be encouraged to relocate to more appropriate sites. Relocation can often be funded by the redevelopment of the site according to the land-use policies for the area.

9.17

Occasionally, a proposal for a minor extension to an existing non-conforming employment premises in the Countryside may be acceptable provided that it would result in a significant improvement to the overall appearance of the site. A 'minor extension' should be clearly subordinate in size to the existing site. The extension should be of the minimum size necessary to secure improvements to the layout of the site, or the buildings that occupy it, and any works needed to improve the visual appearance of the site. It is not expected that any particular site would be extended more than once under this aspect of the policy set out below.

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Employment in the Countryside

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9.18

The Council's development strategy restricts building development in the Countryside in the interests of protecting the appearance and character of the rural landscape (see Policy 5: The Countryside). Accordingly, employment development outside the Growth Towns, Small Towns, Large Villages and Selected Small Villages will not normally be permitted. Indeed, sufficient allocations to meet the estimated demand for new employment land during the Local Plan period are identified within these settlements.

9.19

However, the reuse or adaptation of existing buildings for employment uses, in accordance with Policy 29: The Reuse and Adaptation of Buildings in the Countryside, will be encouraged. Such opportunities include the use of buildings on former military airfields. (NB: Both the Rural Development Commission and the European Union [within its Objective 5b areas] operate redundant building grant schemes which seek to facilitate the reuse of such buildings for business purposes.)

Former Military Airfields

9.20

Throughout North Norfolk the remains of former World War II airbases can be found with many of their hangars, control buildings and shelters still intact. In addition, the Ministry of Defence has more recently closed the airbases at Sculthorpe and West Raynham.

9.21

Redundant buildings on the former airfields at Ludham, Cockthorpe, Little Snoring, Wood Norton (Foulsham) and Egmere (North Creake), as well as at Sculthorpe and West Raynham, can offer limited opportunities for employment development without detriment to the appearance or character of the rural area. The use of former hangars for bulk storage is particularly appropriate. The buildings represent under-utilised accommodation and their use for employment purposes would provide additional employment opportunities in rural areas that are otherwise sensitive to new development.

Policy 75: Former Military Airfields - expired 27/09/2007
The Council will encourage the use of existing buildings for employment generating purposes on the former military airfields at Cockthorpe, Foulsham, Little Snoring, Ludham, North Creake, Sculthorpe and West Raynham. Development proposals for these buildings will be considered in accordance with Policy 29: The Reuse and Adaptation of Buildings in the Countryside and, in the case of Sculthorpe, Annex 6: Sculthorpe Airbase.

Sculthorpe and West Raynham Airbases

9.22

The reduction in the size of the armed forces following the end of the Cold War and the changes announced as part of the Government's 'Front Line First' review have led to the closure of RAF bases at Sculthorpe and West Raynham.

9.23

These two airbases represent considerable property assets: Sculthorpe Airbase has an area of 547 ha and 207 dwellings and West Raynham Airbase has an area of 214 ha and 127 dwellings.

9.24

The closure of these airbases raised three issues for consideration:

• the general impact on the local economy;

• the specific impact on local businesses; and

• the subsequent uses of the airbases, including airfields, hangars and other buildings, and the housing stock.

9.25

Initially, no alternative defence uses were forthcoming. However, following the publication of the Deposit Draft version of the Local Plan, the Government decided to retain the airfield at Sculthorpe for helicopter use for an experimental period and created a new access to the airfield off the B1454 (Docking Road). The rest of the airbase was sold to a private developer. The Government has decided to retain the whole of West Raynham Airbase for the time being, but has not yet announced any proposals for its reuse.

9.26

Given their current situations, the Council will prepare a development brief for each airbase in order to guide potential purchasers and developers. These briefs will address the need for improvements to roads, buildings and services as well as the reuse of the existing buildings and land. In particular, given the proximity of Sculthorpe and West Raynham Airbases to Fakenham, the briefs must ensure that the reuse of the airbases does not prejudice the town's role as a Growth Town. Annex 6: Sculthorpe Airbase provides a general statement which offers further guidance on the preparation of a development brief for that particular area.

Agricultural Diversification

9.27

The increasing efficiency of British farming has caused agricultural production to rise dramatically, to the point where the need now is to reduce the output of agricultural products in surplus in western European countries. This increased efficiency has also been responsible for a reduction in the number of people employed in agriculture. In North Norfolk, for example, agricultural employment fell by 28% between 1982 and 1992. Reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy, revisions to international trade agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and increasing concern for environmental issues will further limit agricultural production in Britain and reduce farm incomes.

9.28

Agriculture will continue to be the dominant land use in the countryside, but for many farms their continuing viability may depend upon their ability to diversify part of their labour or holding into other interests. This is particularly true for part-time holdings, which represent 42% of all agricultural holdings in North Norfolk.

9.29

There are many opportunities for the diversification of farm businesses. Some of these are conventional while others are unrelated to farming. Many farm diversification projects, such as those providing tourist accommodation, sport and recreation, farm shops and garden centres, will probably require planning consent. Specific planning policy guidance on these developments is given elsewhere in the Local Plan.

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Working from Home

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9.30

Many small businesses are started by people working in their own homes, and technological innovations are likely to increase the incidence of 'home-working'. Home-working does not necessarily require planning permission, particularly where the use of part of a house for business purposes does not change the overall character of the property. Those considering working from home are advised to contact the Council in order to find out whether planning permission is likely to be required.

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The Business Environment

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9.31

The quality of the physical environment in industrial and commercial areas is very important. Attractive employment areas enhance the image of a business and may encourage further investment. Well-designed and landscaped employment areas also add to the general quality of the built environment and may increase the value of buildings and land.

Existing General Employment Areas

9.32

A number of existing General Employment Areas would benefit from environmental improvements such as additional landscaping, off-street car parking, parking restrictions and improved signposting and storage arrangements. Where appropriate, the Council will liaise with local firms and public bodies in order to achieve environmental improvements that will increase the attractiveness of General Employment Areas to potential investors as well as enhancing the local environment.

Policy 77: Business Environment - expired 27/09/2007
Environmental improvements will be encouraged in existing General Employment Areas through opportunities arising from development proposals.

New Employment Development

9.33

It is important that the appearance and character of employment areas contribute to the overall quality of the built environment. Consequently, development proposals for employment generating uses will need to include high standards of siting, design, layout, landscaping and materials in accordance with the North Norfolk Design Guide (see Part D).

9.34

Development briefs will be prepared for all proposed General Employment Areas to provide detailed guidance for developers.

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