Proving hard to protect employment land

Date: 20/11/2015

Planning magazine reports that a recent survey suggests the increased focus on housing supply has left councils' work on employment land data lacking.

However, Catrionna Riddell, the POS Strategic Planning Subject Specialist, told Planning  that pressure from housebuilders for unused employment sites to be turned over for residential use, endorsed by emerging government policy, meant many authorities doubted the value of doing an employment land review.

"The fact that most councils are struggling to meet their housing needs is making it really hard to protect employment land, so there isn't much point in carrying out an employment land review," she said. "Even sites that would probably not have been used for housing in the past - such as industrial estates - are now being considered."

Catriona Riddell