Paragraph 2.4.3


We strongly support the view that the Eldon Way Industrial Estate provides a customer base for existing town centre uses. Weekday spending within town centres is an important contributor to the viability of many retail and leisure businesses either through expenditure by employees during the lunchtime trade or expenditure by employers, on necessary goods and services. This relationship helps sustain the critical mass of a centre and provides a platform for new retail and leisure growth. We are of the view that it is not just desirable to retain these uses but essential in order to underpin the long term vitality and viability of the Town Centre. Alternative uses such as residential would not provide the most beneficial use and it is doubtful whether residential use value would be sufficient to make the redevelopment viable given the brownfield character of the area and potential need for mitigation. Any option should therefore focus on maintaining much of the employment floor space character of the area and regeneration should focus on the area closest to the Town Centre for retail, leisure and some office use only.

We strongly agree with the statement that the Eldon Way Industrial Estate is strategically well placed. In a sense this statement underplays the true importance of this highly sustainable employment location. The employment area is adjacent to the railway and located a short distance from the main bus routes which run along Spa Road. The residential areas of the town are also within walking distance, providing a potential for sustainable travel by employees. The Eldon Way Industrial Estate is therefore right at the heart of the Town and provides an opportunity to meet sustainable transport objectives by reducing the need to travel by car. Consequently, this employment area should be highlighted as a premier employment site in sustainability terms, both in the context of PPG13, PPG4 and PPS6. To encourage alternative uses may put at issue the soundness of the planning principles on which the Area Action Plan is based.

Whilst it is acknowledged that some improvement to the Eldon Way Industrial Estate can and should take place, the extent to which the mix of employment uses should be altered in favour of alternative land uses requires careful consideration as the soundness of the Area Action Plan may be investigated at a later date. It is our view that a mix of employment land uses should continue to dominate for the reasons noted above. In addition, the switching of employment uses to favour offices only, as noted in this paragraph of the AAP, is not considered to be appropriate or sustainable. A mix of employment types between offices, light industry and other high technology industries should be encouraged as this will provide many locational advantages to the firms that agglomerate together. It can help develop and improve trade, improve the sustainability of businesses as a whole and make for a more flexible labour market as skill levels are varied. A single employment use such as offices or a different use altogether would undermine the long term sustainability of the area and Town Centre.