Adopted Stowmarket Area Action Plan - Mid Suffolk District Council

Stowmarket Area Action Plan7.21 Stowmarket is currently lacking in the good quality, short-stay accommodationnecessary for a tourist destination, both at the hotel and B&B ends of the spectrum. TheCouncil will support appropriate extensions to existing short-stay facilities that will benefitthe town's economy and will encourage and support the provision of new servicedaccommodation near the town centre, particularly in sustainable locations close to rail andother public transport.7.22 The high quality of the landscape and environment of Suffolk is a major touristattraction and it is important that growth in tourism should not be detrimental to theenvironment, landscape or other tourism assets nor to the amenity of residents. Growthin tourism related development should protect and enhance the character of the town, thesurrounding villages and the landscape, environment and biodiversity in a way that benefitsboth visitors and the local population.7.23 The Core Strategy supports appropriate tourism related development in rural areaswhere it will benefit the rural economy. It is equally important for the sustainability ofvillages that they retain sources of local employment and that they are open to opportunitiesfor new types of employment. Employment in rural areas will be targeted to the betterserviced, more sustainable 'Key Service Centre' villages. However, Core Strategy policypermits businesses of an appropriate scale and size to be located in smaller villages andin the countryside where there is operational need and where this need cannot be met inmore sustainable locations.7.24 The Taylor Review on the Rural Economy and Affordable Housing (July 2008)forecasts that in rural areas 'home-working' will be of increased importance over time.Similarly the provision of 'live-work' units may benefit both the local economy and housing.A revitalised Stowmarket will contribute to the attractiveness of the wider area for bothhome-working and live-work units.Employment Overview for Stowmarket7.25 Stowmarket is identified as the major centre for growth in the District and it isimportant for sustainability and the reduction in out commuting that a better alignment ofjobs and houses is provided in the town and particularly jobs in sectors that have a soundfuture. The long-term objective for the Stowmarket Area is to retain and support growthin existing employment sectors and to create opportunities for many new jobs in both theindustrial and non-industrial sectors. The traditional approach to plan allocation has notresulted in the expected number of jobs and a more innovative solution which offers arange of sites that are geared to the delivery of attractive places to work will be provided.7.26 Availability of sites for employment use will be considered against existingDevelopment Plan Documents. This will include:The Council will ensure that a range of good quality sites and premises is madeavailable for employment to meet the future needs of business in the StowmarketArea through a variety of means, including:protection of existing business premises and employment sites from loss to otheruses where this would be detrimental to the delivery of the objectives of the StowmarketArea Action Plan or the regeneration of the town;Mid Suffolk Stowmarket Area Action Plan (February 2013)67