Knowsley Replacement Unitary Development Plan - Knowsley Council

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
EXPLANATION EC3
6.25
The Proposals Map designates a number of areas as
Primarily Industrial Areas. These are where
industrial, business or warehousing uses are the
predominant existing land uses. These areas have a
key role to play in providing jobs for the residents of
Knowsley and of Merseyside. However, other uses
can be appropriately located within these areas,
provided they are complementary in scale and nature
and address identified needs of the area.
6.26
In some cases, for example, small shops or petrol
stations are needed within industrial areas to provide a
local service to occupiers of the area. Other uses
which can sometimes be most appropriately carried
out in industrial areas include builders merchants, tyre
and exhaust centres, waste transfer stations, etc.
However, such uses must be well sited and designed
to avoid causing harm to the environment and image of
industrial areas, the processes carried out by
neighbouring industrial occupiers or neighbouring
non-industrial uses. Such uses are generally not
appropriate for high quality B1 business parks due to
the impact of noise, fumes, dust and so on but may be
acceptable in industrial areas allocated for B2 or
B8 uses.
6.27
Most of the Primarily Industrial Areas are within the
existing Objective 1 Strategic Investment Areas, for
which there are current strategies for the
improvement of the environment. In assessing any
planning applications for uses other than for industry
or warehousing, the Council will take into account
whether the new use would be compatible with any
approved regeneration strategy for the area, and also
whether there would be an adverse effect on the
supply of land for industrial uses.
POLICY LINKS
Policy MW5
“Waste Management and Treatment Facilities”
Policy ENV1
“Control of Pollution in New Development”
Policy ENV2
“Noise and Vibration”
Policy DQ1
“Design Quality in New Development”
Policy DQ2
“Security in the built environment”
Policy EC1
“Strategy for provision of employment land”
POLICY EC4:
REGIONAL INVESTMENT SITE -
KINGS BUSINESS PARK
1. Kings Business Park meets the criteria for a
Regional Investment Site and is considered to
be suitable for employment uses which
support the Region’s Target Economic Sectors.
2. Outline planning permission has been granted
for the following uses:
- Business uses (Use Class B1);
- Suitable forms of industrial use (Use Class
B2); and
- Hotel use (Use Class C1).
3. The Council will approve detailed applications
for the development of the site for the above
purposes, and for subsequent extensions,
infilling or alterations, provided that the
development would:
a) Provide a high quality of design and layout
which reflects the status of the site; its
landscape and ecological value; and its
setting close to the Grade II Listed Building
at Hazels House;
b) Not have a materially greater impact on
the openness or purposes of the Green
Belt than the existing approved
development; and
c) Secure the long-term management and
maintenance of any existing landscape
features to be retained within the site.
EXPLANATION EC4
6.28
Kings Business Park at Huyton is identified as a
strategic regional site in the Regional (Economic)
Strategy (2003) published by the North West
Development Agency. Furthermore, the Council
believes that it meets the criteria set out in the
Regional Spatial Strategy to enable it to be identified
as a Regional Investment Site. The site scores highly
in terms of regeneration priorities and regional
planning guidance criteria. It is a sustainable site,
being a major previously developed site, accessible by
public transport, close to housing, employment areas
and supporting services and is well landscaped.
It has good access via motorway and ‘A’ roads to rail
freight terminals inside and outside of Knowsley and
it is suitably located for international access from
Liverpool and Manchester airports. The entire site
has outline planning permission, with various phases
either having been completed or having detailed
planning permission. There are no impediments to
the development of the rest of the site in terms of
flooding, land condition and availability, ownership,
infrastructure or capacity. There is easy access to
Higher Education Institutes in Liverpool.
6.29
The site was occupied until the 1980s by the CF Mott
Teacher Training College, and contained a number of
very substantial buildings, which have subsequently
been demolished. The development would
incorporate a mix of business, hotel and industrial
uses (the latter of which must be of a type which is
appropriate to the environmental setting of the site
and its proximity to residential properties). Conditions
on the outline permission specify which plots may be
used for which purposes.
6.30
A guiding principle behind the approved
redevelopment of the site has been that the new
business park should not have a materially
greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt
than the previous teacher training college.
Other environmental constraints that will need to be
taken into account include the need to preserve or
enhance the setting of Hazels House (a grade II
Listed Building) and the landscape within the site
which includes a lake, natural grassland, woodland
and trees which are covered by Tree Preservation
Order. Part of the site is designated as a Site of
Biological Interest.
POLICY LINKS
Policy EC1
“Strategy for Provision of Employment Land”
Policy G1
“New Development in the Green Belt"
Policy DQ1
“Design Quality in New Development”
Policy DQ2
“Security in the built environment”
Policy T6
“Ensuring a choice of travel to serve new
developments”
Policy T8
"Transport Assessments"
Policy T9
“Travel Plans”
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KNOWSLEY REPLACEMENT UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Adopted June 2006
KNOWSLEY REPLACEMENT UNITARY DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Adopted June 2006
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