Adopted Stowmarket Area Action Plan - Mid Suffolk District Council

Stowmarket Area Action PlanWest Suffolk Employment Land Review7.8 The Western Suffolk ELR was commissioned jointly by Mid Suffolk, St. Edmundsburyand Forest Heath District Councils in response to the East of England Plan (May 2008)and covers the period to 2026. The Western Suffolk ELR is the key background evidencedocument for employment policy although it should be noted that it covers the whole districtrather than just Stowmarket, and only considers jobs in the 'B Use-Classes', which usuallyrepresent about half of all jobs in an area.7.9 The Western Suffolk ELR notes the locational advantage in Mid Suffolk foragriculture/forestry, manufacturing, food processing and transport related industries. Itthen goes on to consider current trends, potential drivers of growth and the most likelygrowth sectors. While there is likely to be growth in the areas of the economy in whichMid Suffolk (and Stowmarket) excel, growth in job numbers in 'B' Use-Classes in MidSuffolk is expected to be most closely linked to growth of the 'Haven Ports', particularlyFelixstowe.7.10 The Western Suffolk ELR sets out a base case ("business as usual") analysis andthen projects future need for employment land across the district according to 2 growthscenarios for the port: 1) a lower level of growth requiring approximately 14.7ha of additionalland; and 2) a higher level of growth requiring approximately 57.5ha of additional land.These projected employment land requirements are not targets, but indicative of the marketpressures for employment land to which the Council should respond through annualmonitoring and the allocation of land to meet future port-related growth.7.11 This port related growth is most likely to be on sites adjacent to and readilyaccessible from the A14, which in Mid Suffolk means employment centres in the IpswichPolicy Area and at Stowmarket. The Western Suffolk ELR expects that in general sitescloser to Felixstowe will be preferred over those more distant so that the full influence fromthe Port may not be apparent in Stowmarket until later in the plan period.7.12 However the employment situation in the Ipswich Policy Area is complicated bypressures from the growth and aspirations of Ipswich as well as the permitted proposalfor a very large leisure facility ('Snoasis') that has the potential to make nearby areas moreattractive for higher value, (non-B8) employment uses. The Western Suffolk ELR proposesthat the policy for the Ipswich Policy Area should be determined in discussion with IpswichBorough Council and other interested parties.7.13 Other major employment centres in Mid Suffolk at Needham Market, Woolpit,Mendlesham and Eye are seen as serving more local markets and do not compete to anysignificant extent with Stowmarket for the same business. Expansion at Stowmarket istherefore unlikely to prejudice future growth at these other locations in the district.7.14 Chapter 7 of the Western Suffolk ELR contains the relevant recommendationstogether with the explanatory text. Those relevant to Mid Suffolk and Stowmarket include:R7 - ensure the delivery of employment land keeps pace with housing land;R16 - the existing employment allocations should be retained to provide sufficientland for growth (in the short term);Mid Suffolk Stowmarket Area Action Plan (February 2013)65