Object

Representation ID: 6921

Received: 25/09/2009

Respondent: Bishops Tachbrook Parish Council

Employment
The Parish Council does not believe that all reasonable options for employment land have been identified. Significant areas of employment land have been vacant for the whole of the last economic cycle. Therefore there is insufficient demand for further employment. Supporting this, developments within Warwick Technology Park have also been vacant for extended periods, post completion.
Types of employment are changing from manufacturing (requiring large sites) to high technology based which is more suitable for mixed development. This also gives better opportunities for shorter journeys to work reducing transport and parking needs. It allows better use of land with multistorey provision giving more jobs/ha. and can be more acceptable to town centre locations. Employment development can only be initiated by businesses with a need. We should only accept requests for permission where the number of jobs/ha is above a determined level depending on location. There is little benefit on more warehousing that only gives a few low grade jobs/ha. Consequently, existing poorly used employment land should be comprehensively planned to give high return in jobs/ha, improving poor brownfield sites and relaxing demand on agricultural land, which is of course employment land as well being land essential for supplying food for the population. Agriculture hardly gets a mention in your preferred option document except to mention a strong agricultural economy. Thereafter, it is ignored or damaged by rampant development proposals.