Policy EMP1: Economic Growth and Investment

Policy EMP1:  Economic Growth and Investment

Proposals will be permitted which support economic growth and productivity, taking into account both local business needs and wider opportunities for development. Economic growth within the borough must be predicated on clean growth principles^[1]  and proposals must meet the Plan’s climate change policies to support the council’s climate emergency and ecological emergency declarations.

Over the plan period, the plan will aim to support the creation of a minimum of 560  jobs per annum.

Inward investment the growth of existing enterprises and the formation and growth of new businesses will be enabled by:

1. Protecting strategic employment sites for employment use (E(g)/Bclass) and enabling the regeneration/redevelopment of these sites for employment uses;
2. Allocating new employment sites for industrial, storage and distribution uses;
3. Permitting employment uses at the strategic housing sites detailed in policies, where the employment uses are of a scale and type appropriate to the sites location and where they will contribute to the creation of sustainable mixed-use communities.
4. Permitting new employment uses in suitable locations outside of the areas identified above where this can be justified, as per the criteria set out below (criteria k – q).

Opportunities to develop the following key employment sectors will be supported:

5. Specialist/advanced manufacturing (including research and development)
6. Financial and business services in Basingstoke town centre and the established office locations of Basing View, Chineham Business Park (including Hampshire International Business Park) and Viables.
7. Storage and distribution in suitable locations.
8. Digital and ICT
1. Chemical and Pharmaceuticals, and life sciences
10. Green/low carbon technologies.

Development proposals within the Basingstoke Settlement Policy Boundary (outside of Strategic Employment Areas), or in exceptional circumstances, adjacent to the Basingstoke Settlement Policy Boundary, for economic development falling within use class E (g) (ii) (iii) or B2 or B8, will be supported where:

11. It can be demonstrated that there is a need for the proposed development;

50. It can be demonstrated that there are not suitable sites available for the proposed development within Strategic Employment Areas;

1000. The proposal can be reasonably accessed via sustainable travel options;
14. There is safe and convenient access to the strategic highway network (in the case of B8 uses only);
15. It will not have an unacceptable detrimental impact on neighbouring land uses, including residential properties;
16. The proposal will not have an unacceptable impact on the character of the area, including nearby settlements; and
17. The proposal successfully mitigates the landscape and biodiversity impacts (and achieves 10% biodiversity net gain), which will include provision of sufficient space for appropriate soft landscaping/green infrastructure, appropriate location of development within the site, and utilises a design, layout of built form and use of materials in order to ensure that any significant landscape and biodiversity impacts are minimised.