• Contents
• Introduction
• Strategic Policies
• Economy, Industry & Commerce
• Housing
• Town Centres, Retailing & Leisure
• General Community Services
• Transport
• Open Environment
• Built & Historic Environment
• Waste, Pollution, Minerals, Water & Energy
• Planning Standards & Controls
• Car Parking Standards
• Cycle Parking Standards
• Proposals Map Schedules
• Glossary of Terms

CHAPTER 2: ECONOMY, INDUSTRY & COMMERCE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

OBJECTIVES

POLICIES AND PROPOSALS

Policies for Land in Industrial and Business Uses
INB1 Strategic Employment Areas/Borough Employment Areas
INB2 Local Employment Areas
INB3 Non-zoned employment uses
INB4 Environmental improvements
INB5 Improvement of access at Sutherland Road

New Sites for Industrial and Business Use
INB6 Lee Valley Regeneration Corridor/ Mixed Use Regeneration Areas
INB7 Sites not currently in employment use

Re-use of Redundant Offices
INB8 Reuse of redundant offices

Homeworking
INB9 Homeworking/working from home

Small Firms
INB10 Live-Work units
INB11 Units for Small Businesses

Training and Access to Employment Opportunities
INB12 Railway Arches
INB13 Training needs
INB14 Workplace nurseries

Fig 2.1 Lee Valley Regeneration Corridor

Hotel Developments
INB15 Development of hotels

BACKGROUND

Employment Structure Changes

2.4 Whilst national, regional and sub regional statistics reveal a general rise in the number of employees in recent years manufacturing has continued to decline. Jobs growth has been experienced in the Real Estate, Business and Renting sector and the Retail, Wholesale and Distribution sectors. For London and the South East there has also been a decrease in construction employment.

2.5 Waltham Forest has been typical of the national and sub regional trends. There has been overall growth in employment. Sectors experiencing significant growth are Banking, Finance and Insurance and Distribution, Wholesale and Retail. Manufacturing has experienced loss.

2.6 Of all the London boroughs, in 1998 Waltham Forest had the second lowest number of its resident workforce employed in firms based in the borough (46,800) after Barking and Dagenham. There were in excess of 100,000 economically active people living in Waltham Forest at this time, consequently a high proportion commute out of the borough to jobs elsewhere. A large proportion of this commuting is by public transport to Central London. It, of course, remains important to retain high levels of employment and to support transport improvements. It would be desirable to seek to increase the amount of locally based jobs in order to assist the development of a more sustainable pattern of working and for the borough to benefit from the retention of spending power. It is considered there is potential to increase more locally based employment particularly in the newly designated Lea Valley Regeneration Corridor where the decline of traditional manufacturing has opened up opportunities for investment and regeneration.

Unemployment

2.7 As a consequence of the general economic recession during the early 1990s, unemployment rates increased rapidly nationally, regionally and within the borough throughout this time to reach a peak in 1993 and then steadily decreased, falling back below 1991 levels by 1997. They have continued to decrease so that by 2000 they were less than half the peak levels of 1993.

2.8 There has been a narrowing of the gap in unemployment rates between the borough and both Greater London and Great Britain during this time. The areas of Chingford and Leyton have fared slightly better than Walthamstow in this respect which could well be a reflection of the fact that regeneration programmes in Waltham Forest have historically tended to be concentrated in Leyton and Leytonstone. The SRB 5 programme (New Opportunities for Walthamstow) is an exception in this respect. Unemployment rates in the southern parts of the borough continue to be higher than the borough average (see Waltham Forest Economic Update Reports).

2.9 The annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) by the Department of Education and Employment continues to show that nationally, people from black and ethnic minority communities are more likely than white people to be unemployed. The working age employment rate for black and ethnic minority people is lower than that of their white counterparts. The UK employment rate for black and ethnic minority groups is 56.3% and 74.1% for white people. In London the rate is 56.7% for black and ethnic minority groups and 70.2 for white people. In Waltham Forest the employment rate is 56.6% for people from black and ethnic minority groups compared to 78.1% for the white population in the borough (Source: 2000/2001 Labour Force Survey). These patterns persist even when the level of qualifications is taken into account. In terms of age, research identifies the youngest working age groups as suffering from the lowest levels of economic activity and highest levels of unemployment. For 16-24 year olds the economic activity rate in Great Britain stands at 73.8%; in London this figure is 64% and in Waltham Forest the rate is 66.1% (Source: 2000/2001 Labour Force Survey). The 16-19 years age group suffers the highest levels of unemployment in the borough. The unemployment rate (Aug 2002) for this age group is 9.6% whereas the overall rate for the borough is 5.6% (Source: GLA Research and Analysis Team and ONS Claimant Count.)

2.10 The unemployment rate for men is more than double that for women in Waltham Forest (7.2% compared to 3.5% in August 2002), which is partly a reflection of the decline of full-time employment in traditional industries. Whilst there has traditionally been a significantly higher proportion of the female population economically inactive compared to males (46% compared to 24% in 1991) this situation is now changing with less women economically inactive whilst the rate for men is unchanged (32.4% compared to 24.1%) (Source: GLA 2001 Round of Projections). Women with childcare or other domestic responsibilities often do not register as unemployed because they may not be entitled to unemployment benefit. However, many would take up paid employment if jobs which were sufficiently flexible or childcare facilities were available.

2.11 Despite disabled people making up a significant proportion of the working age population, they remain under-represented in the workforce and over-represented among those on low incomes. This has been recognised by the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) which gives statutory rights to disabled people not to be discriminated against unlawfully in employment. Research has shown that despite 20% of the working age population suffering from some form of disability (Source: Labour Force Survey, 2000), the unemployment rate for disabled people continues to be much higher than for non-disabled people. The LSC (London North) Equal Opportunities Strategic Plan 2002-05 (LSC, 2002) indicates that evidence suggests that disabled people face numerous disadvantages, namely

• They are less likely to be working and more likely to be inactive
• They are more likely to be in a lower level occupation
• They have longer unemployment spells
• They are more likely to have lower levels of qualifications than those without disabilities.

Moreover, according to the North London Employers Survey, 93% of LSC London North employers do not presently have any disabled people working for them.

2.12 Local research has shown that among the reasons for this are the potential difficulties faced by disabled employees in entering and moving around places of employment which do not meet modern standards of access, as well as employers expectations. Furthermore disabled people have faced physical and attitudinal barriers to participation in mainstream education and training opportunities. Transport can present further difficulties in seeking and taking up training or a job. As a consequence of these and other factors, legislation requiring firms with over 20 employees to ensure that disabled people form at least 3% of their workforce has not been successful. People with disabilities from black and ethnic minority communities have fared even worse than white disabled people in terms of job opportunities.

Premises and Land

2.13 The borough has experienced cyclical fluctuations in the amount of vacant industrial premises and land on the market which has tended to reflect general economic conditions. In the years 2001 and 2002 just under one sixth of designated floorspace was vacant. Revisions to the UDP designations aim to reduce this level of vacancy through allocating the some of these sites for mixed use development where recommended by the Industrial Demand Study 2002.

2.14 However, it has proven difficult to fully accommodate the demands of all sizes of enterprise for industrial and business premises in the borough, particularly those that have expanded and outgrown their existing accommodation. The provision of replacement premises for existing businesses is dependent upon the recycling of brownfield sites for reuse and problems often have to be addressed including decontamination and overcoming ownership constraints which often cause delays.

2.15 The age of most of the borough's industrial areas means that they were developed without the standard of layout and facilities now required by many firms. The Council has been instrumental in seeking environmental improvements to industrial areas in order to bring them up to more modern standards and improve their appearance. However, in the process of upgrading estates the Council must be mindful of not inhibiting the supply of cheap nursery/start up units for small businesses which can often be achieved by the subdivision and reuse of outdated premises.

2.16 Major environmental improvements are often achieved through redevelopment of sites. However, this generally entails a lower site coverage than the original buildings in order to ensure better servicing and parking arrangements etc. Combined with the trend towards less labour intensive manufacturing processes and the diversification of uses on estates described below, this means that fewer jobs are provided per hectare on redevelopment sites. This is unavoidable if good quality sites are to be provided. However, it has reduced the total number of jobs which can be provided in the zoned employment areas.

2.17 There has been an overall decrease in "traditional" industrial activities on estates, with the occupiers becoming more diverse. In part, this reflects the trend for new businesses to combine product development, manufacture, storage and office services on the same site. Additionally, there has been a growth in wholesale, warehousing and distribution activities on estates borough wide, reflecting research published in GLA Report Industrial and Warehouse Land Demand in London (2004) which concluded that modern industries are engaged in largely 'downstream' activities. This means that they are mainly concerned with the delivery of goods to market and includes activities such as printing, distribution and catering. The Industrial Demand Study (Chesterton, 2002) confirms this to be particularly the case for Waltham Forest with its links to the city and docklands. Estates around the North Circular such as Hall Lane and Cabinet Way have particularly experienced these trends, which has also seen the development of retail warehousing.

2.18 There has been a decrease in the quantity of employment land in the borough during the previous plan period (1987-2001). Although there has been some loss of designated employment land and premises (parts of Hall Lane, Cabinet Way and the Seymour Road industrial area) the greatest decrease appears to have been outside designated industrial and business zones. Existing Plan policies appear to have encouraged a loss of unoccupied premises in non-designated areas to residential uses on the basis of the environmental benefits to be derived from such a change of use in these locations. This should continue to be monitored to ensure that it does not result in a lack of supply of small scale business premises for trade or other business uses that need to be located in residential or mixed urban locations.

2.19 The Council will monitor the use and re-use Business Class land in designated and non-designated areas to help ensure the right balance is struck between maintaining sites and premises for small scale and other businesses and providing additional housing or other much needed uses. Moreover, it will be mindful of the need to benefit the most deprived parts of the borough without sterilizing land unnecessarily.

Future Trends

2.20 Waltham Forest is part of the wider labour market of London and the South-East and therefore will be influenced by a wide range of changes in national and international trading, including an accelerated pace of economic change caused by globalisation of the economy and facilitated by technological advances in work practices.

2.21 The South-East will experience increased development pressures over the next few years if anticipated economic and population growth is to be realised. In this context, the borough is within major areas that have been identified for regeneration at both a national and regional level, including the Lee Valley, Stratford and the Thames Gateway. There are a number of major development schemes in the area that are having or will have an influence on the area. An expansion of Stansted Airport is planned which would increase throughput from 15 to 25 million passenger per annum by 2010. A major passenger interchange located at Stratford (including an extension to the Jubilee Line) has been developed. An international railway station serving the future Channel Tunnel railway link is presently being developed at Stratford and is due to be open in Spring 2007. The 68 hectare former rail lands around this area was the subject of a planning permission in 2005 for a major mixed-use development of 1.25 million square metres comprising a new shopping centre, offices, hotels, residential development, schools and a range of community and leisure facilities. It will be developed in phases in the period up to 2020. At a local level, the south of the borough has benefited from investment in transport infrastructure including the development of the M11 Link Road and the Orient Way both of which have improved accessibility to several of the industrial estates in the south of the borough.

2.22 In addition to the above, at a borough level several national and European funding regimes have been ongoing since the early 1990s. Some of these initiatives will continue throughout the UDP First Review plan period whilst several of the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) programmes will come to a close. Some programmes cover specific areas whilst others are available borough wide but generally there is a concentration in the south of the borough. As well as SRB, they include Assisted Area Status, Capital Challenge, European Objective 2 and European Objective 3 Programmes. In addition, there are other sub-regional schemes including the London Lee Valley Investment and Marketing programme. Aims of these programmes include training, employment generation and the development of sites and premises for businesses.

2.23 With regard to structural changes in the economy, manufacturing industry is expected to decline further whilst the service sector will increase its dominance. GLA "Planning for London's Growth" 2002 indicates that the largest growth in employment in Greater London as a whole is likely to be associated with the financial and business services. The spread of these activities to areas on the fringe of the City is causing concern where established communities may be threatened particularly where residents are more likely to be less skilled and working in declining economic activities where their skills are likely to become redundant. Although Waltham Forest is unlikely to experience this sort of pressure, increased importance of service activities will mean that town and district centres in the borough will continue to become increasingly important employment locations. Land currently in employment use is also coming under increasing pressure from potential residential development as a consequence of the potentially higher land values.

2.24 Despite the above, the continuing demand for industrial, business and warehousing premises suggests that land should continue to be safeguarded for firms wishing to locate or remain and expand here. The need to maintain and regenerate land in industrial and business use is also supported by the fact that further redevelopment of older premises is likely to reduce the total number of jobs provided on such sites. This will restrict employment opportunities for residents who cannot or do not wish to travel far to work. It could also put further strain on the transport network by increasing commuting which would fail to assist in developing sustainable work patterns.

2.25 The accelerated pace of change facilitated by technological development and the diversification of occupiers activities between the B use classes suggests that occupiers will seek flexible premises which can accommodate these needs. The changing nature and mix of industry and business indicates that policies should be flexible enough to accommodate employment generating activities, subject to environmental safeguards and traffic considerations.

2.26 Changes in the economic structure should be considered alongside changes in the labour market. In 2001 the borough's working age population was estimated to be 141,400. This is forecast to increase to 144,800 by 2016. This is consistent with general population forecasts which predict that the boroughs population is likely to remain stable. (Source: GLA 2001, Round of Projections)

2.27 Although the numbers of work age will increase, GLA projections of economic activity rates suggest that economic activity in the borough will remain relatively stable rising from 112,000 in 2001 to 112,800 in 2006; to 114,400 in 2011 and to 114,600 in 2016.

2.28 Training and re-training schemes will be needed to address this potential problem and prevent economic and social exclusion. Training initiatives will help to ensure that local people benefit from economic regeneration which is one of the Council's and the Plan's main aims (see Part 1 paragraph 1.2). Working towards this aim will help to lower unemployment rates, which are still high in the south of the borough, and increased earnings will stimulate other sectors of the local economy. Furthermore, it will enable people who have suffered disadvantages in the labour market, such as black people, women and people with disabilities, to benefit. Such schemes will need to go hand in hand with the provision of facilities to enable people with childcare responsibilities to take up paid employment and training.

2.29 There is a complex relationship between the health of the local economy and factors such as the availability of land for industrial and commercial activities; of skilled workers; and of housing for those workers. Transport systems provide the crucial link between these elements. The Council's aim of ensuring that local people benefit from economic regeneration has merit in its own right (see paragraph 2.28 above). However, the projected emerging mismatch between employers skill requirements and those possessed by the local population, coupled with increasing pressure for housing and an already congested transport network, make this aim an essential prerequisite for the continued economic regeneration and prosperity of the local economy.

OBJECTIVES

2.30 The policies and proposals of this Plan will be guided by the following objectives:
a). To maximise the number and variety of job opportunities available to residents of the borough.
b). To maintain and encourage the widest possible range of economic activities, by ensuring adequate provision of land and buildings, and the availability of a skilled labour force.
c). To foster the retention and expansion of local companies and other employing organisations in order to contribute towards sustainable work patterns and reduce social exclusion.
d). To seek regeneration and renewal of the urban area for industrial and business use.
e). To ensure improvements in the quality of the working environment.

POLICIES AND PROPOSALS

Policies for Land in Industrial and Business Uses

2.31 Government guidance PPG4 seeks to safeguard land to help meet the accommodation needs of businesses. Waltham Forest is a largely residential borough and does not have large areas of land devoted to business use. The Council is concerned to ensure that existing industrial and business uses would not be displaced by higher value land uses, providing lower levels of employment. The Council also wishes to ensure that a range of sites are available to enable technological and other business changes to be undertaken. Therefore, in order to maintain an economic base for industry, business and warehousing at present and into the future it is necessary to protect viable business land from redevelopment for other uses. This is partly achieved through the designation of three types of employment land in Waltham Forest as follows:

• Strategic Employment Areas;
• Borough Employment Areas and;
• Local Employment Areas.

2.32 Both the Strategic Employment Areas (SEAs) and Borough Employment Areas (BEAs) are shown on the proposals map and full details of their locations are listed in Schedules 1 and 2. Local Employment Areas are given consideration under policy INB2 and are detailed in Schedule 3. The SEAs and BEAs are well established industrial and business areas, possessing good and improving access to the transport network. Many industrial and business uses cannot be readily accommodated in the borough without a loss of amenity other than on land set aside for these purposes on the Proposals Map. A wide variety of industrial and business uses are located in these areas, with these uses having diversified during the 1990's. Therefore the above policy is flexible in order to encourage the development of a wide variety of employment uses to provide a mix of local job opportunities.

2.33 In many cases the Council continues to take an active role in securing improvements in the quality of sites, buildings and the environs of designated employment areas.

2.34 Strategic Employment Areas are industrial or business areas in the borough that fall within the GLA's Strategic Employment Locations (SEL) framework. This framework reflects London's principal locations for industrial and warehousing activity, being established in 1994 and updated in 2000 and identified in the London Plan 2004. A key objective of the SEL framework is to ensure that the best industrial land remains in industrial use or is available for industrial development. The broad locations for SEL are identified in the London Plan and the precise boundaries will be reviewed at the earliest opportunity in the light of local assessments and the perspective provided by the GLA's SPG Industrial Capacity, the pan London Industrial Demand study and within the context of the North London Sub Regional Development Framework (SRDF). There are three general locations in Waltham Forest which are categorised as Principal Industrial Locations within this framework and consequently the Council has designated these as Strategic Employment Areas in the UDP. These are:-

• Central Leeside Business Area (Hall Lane, North Circular Road, Cabinet Way). The Principal Industrial Location covering this area also includes parts of London Boroughs of Enfield and Haringey.
• Blackhorse Lane
• Lea Bridge Gateway (Argall Avenue, Rigg Approach, Lammas Road, British Gas site, Perth Road and the former Town Gas Works site, Lea Bridge Road).

2.35 There are also several business and industrial locations in Waltham Forest which fall outside the GLA Strategic Employment Location framework but which are still of significant importance at a borough-wide level. Consequently, these have been designated as Borough Employment Areas (BEAs) as follows: Justin Road/Trinity Way; Highams Park; Fulborne Road/Clifford Road; Church Road; Sherrin Road; Auckland Road; Temple Mills Lane; Waltham Park Way; Sutherland Road; Brunner Road; Heybridge Way; Lea Park Trading Estate; Leyton Business Centre/Orient Industrial Park; The Sidings, Hainault Road; and Ruckholt Road.

2.36 The designated employment sites are considered well suited for employment related development for business use, industry and storage and distribution uses. Applications for general industry, offices and warehousing will be given permission where appropriate as several of the designated employment sites are close to residential areas where amenity must be protected. In these instances the Council may require the imposition of tight controls over the type of activities permitted including the use of conditions or planning obligations as appropriate to ensure no adverse effects occur. Warehousing in excess of 2,000 sq.m shall be judged in the light of the implications for access and servicing requirements and the effect that HGV flow has on its surroundings. Applications for non-business class uses will not normally be permitted. Paragraph 1.8 of PPS6 Planning For Town Centres (2005) identifies public and commercial offices as key town centre uses. On this basis applications for non ancillary office developments (use class B1(a)) will be considered in relation to the sequential approach to development site selection. PPS 6 sets out under para 3.4 the main issues that would need to be addressed where main town centre development is proposed. This criteria is dealt with more fully in Policy TRL3 (Chapter 4) and will apply to office developments as well as to major out of centre development. However, applications will be exempt from this requirement where a developer can prove that an office proposal is ancillary to the main function of a business located in a SEA/BEA and is needed for operational purposes. Assessment will consider each application on its own merits, taking into account factors such as jobs created, traffic generation, parking provision and other environmental factors.

2.37 Policy 4A.2 of the London Plan (2004) states that UDP policies should support appropriate developments for manufacturing relating to recycled waste. This is reflected in Policy INB1. Chapter 9 sets out the Council's policies and proposals in relation to planning for waste.

2.38 There are numerous smaller sites in industrial, business, warehousing and distribution use outside the SEA and BEA framework which perform an important function within the local economy by offering local and diverse employment opportunities. This includes both individual sites and premises and industrial estates where there are clusters of such uses, but which are too small to be shown on the Proposals Map. To reflect the importance of these areas, the best, most established employment sites in multiple occupancy outside the SEA/BEA framework have been designated as Local Employment Areas (LEAs). Their change of use to non-employment uses will not normally be permitted.

2.39 The Council will seek to retain viable locations in employment use outside the designated framework outlined above and will encourage a variety of such uses in these areas, taking into account the character of the surroundings. Most of these businesses do not adversely affect the environment of surrounding areas. If such sites become available, the Council would prefer to see an environmentally acceptable employment use retained in order to preserve job opportunities.

2.40 However, there are sites which have serious adverse effects on the environment or amenity. In these instances, the Council will encourage modernisation and improvement of existing premises. When such sites become available and improvements have not taken place, the Council will favour re-use or redevelopment for a more acceptable employment use.

2.41 The applicant should demonstrate that no demand exists to re-use or redevelop the land and buildings for employment purposes. Factors to be taken into account will include the length of time the property has been vacant and the attempts that have been made to let it. As an indication, it will be expected that the premises will have been actively marketed for employment use on realistic terms, using more than one medium for a period of 6 months. Other factors to be taken into account will be the condition of the property and the extent of works which would be required to make it suitable for employment use and the demand for the size and type of employment premises concerned in the area. The satisfaction of these requirements seeks to avoid the land banking of viable employment sites, for which there is clear demand, in order to realise a hope value for a different use.

2.42 In addition, the land or buildings in question should not be suitable for continued employment use on amenity or transport grounds and should normally lie outside the Lee Valley Regeneration Corridor (as outlined in policy INB6 below). Where site constraints make a site incapable of being improved for employment use, the Council will permit a more environmentally acceptable use, with first preference being for housing.

2.43 Employment sites generally, and non-designated ones in particular, have come under increasing development pressure for other uses, such as housing, over recent years. The Industrial Demand Study 2002 indicates that between 1997 and 2001 there has been a loss of around 9.3 hectares of employment land. It states that there are a number of trends that lie behind these changes, including the decline in traditional manufacturing on large scale sites and the apparent lack of attractiveness of the industrial stock, indicating a mismatch between supply and demand. Gross demand for employment land in the borough is forecast to decline at around one hectare per annum for the following decade. The Council will monitor the quantity of employment land being released in order to ascertain that borough-wide land use objectives are being met.

2.44 Some of the borough's industrial and business areas are perceived to be relatively unattractive by modern standards. Environmental improvements can help to make these areas more attractive for existing and prospective businesses and employees, as well as for any surrounding residential communities. Any new developments and significant expansion of existing premises will be expected to make a positive contribution to the environment through good design, landscaping etc. (see Chapter 8 Built and Historic Environment, particularly policy BHE1). They may also be expected to provide for off site environmental improvements. As with all new developments, proposals to improve industrial or business premises will be expected to be accessible so that everyone, including people with disabilities can conveniently reach and use it (see Policy BHE5 Chapter 8).

2.45 In conjunction with other bodies such as the Metropolitan Police, the Council will seek to improve the working environment by developing initiatives to improve safety and security and reduce crime. A Crime and Disorder Audit was produced in 1999 and priorities established for its reduction, including those particularly relevant to employment areas such as CCTV.

2.46 Initial investigations have identified several potential redevelopment sites within the Blackhorse Lane renewal area, which consists of industrial estates within the Blackhorse Lane SEA and the Sutherland Road BEA. The latter estate predominantly consists of older industrial buildings and has suffered from congestion and an unattractive environment over recent years. This has contributed to a relatively high level of vacant premises in comparison to other estates in the borough. The Council views the improvement of vehicular circulation within the estate by the construction of a new access road between Sutherland Road and Blackhorse Lane as a vital component in redressing this decline. By alleviating existing congestion, the attractiveness of the estate to new and established businesses will be improved. It will also provide the catalyst for the regeneration of under utilised sites and premises within the estate which will also be assisted by its location within the wider Lee Valley Regeneration Corridor (see policy INB6 below).

New Sites for Industrial and Business Uses

2.47 The Lea Valley Regeneration Corridor is a traditional industrial area which has experienced decline, leaving the legacy of an unattractive environment including some dereliction. The designation of East London and the Lower Lee Valley as a Priority Area for Economic Regeneration (PAER) by Regional Planning Guidance for the South-East (RPG9) presents a major opportunity for the physical transformation of an area that is recognised as possessing some of the worst concentrations of urban deprivation and unemployment in the country. The Council has therefore designated the portion of the borough falling within the Lee Valley as a regeneration corridor, which includes the wards of Lloyd Park, St James Street, High Street, Lea Bridge and Leyton. Within London the Lee Valley also extends into the neighbouring boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Haringey and Enfield as well as the Lee Valley Regional Park. The latter provides an important part of the setting for much of the industrial land in the Corridor which should be recognised in regeneration proposals. The regeneration of industrial and business locations within the Lea Valley Regeneration Corridor is fundamental to its physical, economic and social transformation.

2.48 This area and the borough in general is also well situated to benefit from other regeneration areas identified by Regional Planning Guidance including Growth Areas at Thames Gateway (which incorporates Stratford Rail Lands) and the London - Stansted - Cambridge corridor. The regeneration of these areas and the London Lee Valley will exert significant influence over future development and work patterns in the sub-region. The borough will continue to work in partnership with surrounding Authorities to facilitate regeneration and in this respect, Waltham Forest is a member of the London Lee Valley Partnership, the Upper Lee Valley Partnership and the Thames Gateway London Partnership. The London Plan identifies Upper Lea Valley, Totenham Hale and Stratford as Opportunity Areas (See Fig 1.2 - Context Plan at the end of Chapter 1).

2.49 There are two major areas of regeneration activity within the Lee Valley Regeneration Corridor, which broadly correspond to Principal Industrial Locations (PILs) identified by The London Plan and described under the supporting text to policy INB1. They consist of:-

• Blackhorse Lane
• Lea Bridge Gateway, extending to Temple Mills

"Mixed Use Regeneration Areas" are identified on the Proposals Map and in Schedule 5 and, where appropriate, will be the subject of site development briefs in conjunction with the requirements of this policy. Moreover, Mixed Use Regeneration Areas are identified as a means of bringing forward renewal where this is difficult for a Business Class use to achieve on its own. Its combination with an alternative use is intended to secure the provision of a proportion of modern business floorspace whilst facilitating a wider physical regeneration of the site in its entirety.

2.50 The rationale for the designation of the Lee Valley Regeneration Corridor is based upon Regional Planning Guidance. It is identified on the Proposals Map and on Figure 2.1 at the end of this Chapter. Nevertheless, opportunities for regeneration within the area are increased by the presence of a wide range of national and European funding programmes; these have had and will continue to have a significant influence upon the physical and economic redevelopment of this part of the borough. Some cross borough boundaries, for example the European Objective 2 area covers the London Lee Valley sub-region, and all cover various timescales, some of which will end during the time period that the Plan review will cover. Further details of regeneration programmes are to be contained in reports produced by the Council from time to time and on the Council's website http://www.walthamforest.gov.uk.

2.51 Under certain regeneration programmes, funding is potentially available where there is a barrier to carrying out site redevelopment as a consequence of there being an imbalance between the cost of redeveloping a site for industrial purposes and the potential income to be generated from the new scheme. In these instances, the Council will investigate the potential for direct intervention in order to lever a site back into use.

2.52 Consideration of the Blackhorse Lane renewal area has been given under policy INB5 above. The Lea Bridge Gateway and Temple Mills areas are the most significant locations of current regeneration activity in the borough, extending northwards from Stratford.

2.53 In order to realise the redevelopment potential of sites in the Lea Bridge Gateway and Temple Mills areas road access in the area needed to be improved. Central in this regard has been the construction of the Leyton Relief Road between Ruckholt Road, Lea Bridge Road and Argall Avenue. The final part of the road was opened in Autumn 2001. It provides access via Ruckholt Road (A106) to the national motorway and primary road network. The trunk road network has itself been recently improved with the opening of the M11 link road in 1999 which links the Lea Interchange immediately to the west of Ruckholt Road (and within London Borough of Hackney) with Eastern Avenue which is to the east of the Green Man roundabout within London Borough of Redbridge.

2.54 The opening of the M11 link road in 1999 together with the opening of the Leyton Relief Road in 2001 has significantly improved access to existing industrial estates and key development sites in the locality. These road improvements are likely to have a beneficial effect on regeneration in the Corridor generally and particularly the Lea Bridge Gateway and Temple Mills Areas. As well as permitting better access to the primary road network and the system of national motorways such road improvements have enabled the removal of commercial and through traffic from residential areas.

2.55 The Council recognises that improvements to traffic flow can only realistically be achieved through traffic restraint and improvements to public transport to provide an alternative to journeys by private car. Therefore, new access arrangements for the Temple Mills area will be designed with this in mind and will also incorporate improvements for pedestrians and cyclists. The Council has sought improvements to public transport in conjunction with new access arrangements, particularly through the provision of bus lanes and additional bus services. In addition, in order to improve access to jobs for residents in the Leyton area, the Council is seeking to reopen Lea Bridge station and a rail link between Waltham Forest and Stratford (see Chapter 6 Transport). This would assist in improving access to jobs at Stratford, Docklands and Stansted.

2.56 The fact that much of the Temple Mills Area has remained vacant for some time has increased its ecological value. The issue of brownfield sites and their ecological value is dealt with in Chapter 7 "Open Environment" Policy ENV9. A large part of the Lea Valley Regional Park lies within the Lea Valley Regeneration Corridor. There are some designated industrial sites which lie within the Lea Valley Regional Park. In both cases it will be necessary to have regard to relevant Policies in the Chapter 7: Open Environment when considering development proposals.

Supply and Demand for Land and Premises

2.57 It is essential that the Council seeks to ensure that there is an adequate supply of sites and premises for employment uses in terms of both quality and quantity if the needs of businesses and regeneration objectives are to be met. The Council will liaise with the GLA, LDA, neighbouring boroughs and other strategic partners to ensure that there is an adequate supply of sites in the borough and the Sub Region. This will be co-ordinated through the Sub Regional Development Framework (SRDF) for North London drawing upon the GLA's Industrial Capacity SPG and strategic and local assessments of demand for employment land.

2.58 As stated in the background section to this chapter, borough-wide monitoring of enquiries from firms seeking to locate or relocate in Waltham Forest indicates that there are problems in meeting business needs and as a consequence, several businesses have been forced to relocate outside the borough. Due to the urban nature of the area, prospective developers are overwhelmingly dependent upon brownfield sites becoming available for re-use which can involve time consuming site clearance of outmoded buildings, de-contamination and potentially having to overcome site ownership constraints. This often means that there is a significant lag time between sites becoming vacant and being readily available for redevelopment which can inhibit objectives of urban regeneration. Therefore, it is necessary for the Council to be more proactive in the early identification of sites and potential constraints in order for them to be brought back into use more quickly. The Council will investigate mechanisms of increasing supply (including the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders) where it identifies outdated or under utilised sites that require direct intervention.

2.59 Two databases that the Council is required to maintain will assist in the early identification of vacant premises and land as well as contamination. The National Land Use Database (NLUD) of sites and premises has already been formulated and is required to be updated on a periodic basis. Local authorities are also obliged to produce a strategy for identifying and dealing with contaminated land by June 2001. This involves compiling a register of contaminated land that poses unacceptable risk to human health or the environment and establishing responsibility for remediation of this land on the basis of the polluter pays principle.

2.60 Regular monitoring of supply and demand for employment land and premises is also essential to enable the Greater London Authority to fulfil its strategic functions. Baseline studies have been carried out to assess the supply and demand for land and premises across the sub-region and the Council will update these on a periodic basis in order to reassess market circumstances. GLA Report Industrial and Warehouse Land Demand in London (2004) emphasises the importance of assessing the demand for and supply of industrial land and premises on a sub-regional basis, in terms of the nature of future demand and the quantity of land required. Waltham Forest lies within the North London Sub Region under the London Plan - comprising Enfield, Barnet, Waltham Forest and Haringey. This will be the subject of a Sub Regional Development Framework brought forward in partnership with stakeholders within the Sub Region.

2.61 The 1987 Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order defined the "B1 Business" use class as including:-

• B1(a) offices
• B1(b) research and development
• B1(c) light industry

2.62 This means that business space should be flexible enough to be used for light industrial, research and office purposes, and be compatible with residential areas. Offices falling within Use Class A2 (Financial and Professional Services) are dealt with in the town centres and retailing chapter of the UDP. The Council recognises that sites may become available outside the areas designated in this Plan which would be suitable for business uses. However, any proposals will need to be assessed in the light of the other policies and proposals of this Plan. This includes the need to prevent the loss of existing housing (HSG3); the strategic requirement to increase the stock of homes in the borough (SP12); the need to protect the essential retailing function of the shopping centres (TRL1) as well as the need to comply with the policies of the Chapter 7: Open Environment and Chapter 6: Transport. It is important that residential areas are protected from large scale development inappropriate to the neighbourhood. Any Business Use Class development in these areas should be small scale and compatible with the residential nature of the environment. Development adjacent to open land should be sympathetically designed so as to avoid any serious adverse impact. Particular consideration should be given to the built form, materials as well as landscaping and boundary treatment.

2.63 The Council recognises the value of office jobs to the local economy. However, Waltham Forest is typical of many boroughs in Outer London in that it is not a major office location. Consequently, many people living in the borough commute to find office employment in Central London and it is likely that this trend will continue. The provision of more office jobs locally would assist in contributing towards more sustainable work patterns and help create opportunities for people who cannot or do not wish to commute. This may apply particularly to people with childcare or domestic responsibilities.

2.64 PPS 6 sets out under para 3.4 the main areas that would need to be addressed where main town centre development is proposed. This criteria is dealt with more fully in Policy TRL3 (Chapter 4) and will apply to office developments as well as to major out of centre development.

2.65 There are a limited number of sites identified around the existing town and principal centres in the borough which are appropriate for commercial development which may include major offices. Walthamstow and Leytonstone town centres are good locations for office development, as both are well served by bus and rail links. Furthermore, office developments will help to strengthen their role as commercial centres.

The reuse of redundant offices

2.66 The early 1990s saw an oversupply of office space across London, but this steadily decreased during the latter part of the decade as a result of increased take up as well as conversions and change of use. Recently, there have also been several proposals for major office developments in Central London which have the potential to significantly contribute to future supply in the capital. Conversely, the office market in Outer London has been restricted by a lack of high quality sites and insufficient rental returns to encourage significant speculative new build developments. Waltham Forest is typical in this respect and consequently possesses a relatively limited office stock; within this there are a small number of larger, more modern offices and a relatively higher proportion of smaller, older premises. Whilst seeking to improve the provision of office floorspace in the borough by encouraging new developments (see policy INB7 above) the Council also recognises that some existing office premises are unsuitable for modern business requirements. In this respect, the Council has received a number of planning applications for change of use of smaller, outdated premises, a trend which is likely to continue. However, there is also a need to protect easily accessible, larger and better quality offices for business use, particularly in view of the limited amount of new premises being built in Outer London.

2.67 Where it becomes evident that office buildings outside designated employment areas (SEAs, BEAs and LEAs) have become redundant, their redevelopment or conversion for other uses may be appropriate. In this regard the Council will seek to establish that there is no realistic prospect of reusing the property for office purposes in the foreseeable future before considering an alternative use. Factors to be taken into account will include the length of time the property has been vacant and the attempts that have been made to let it. As an indication, it will be expected that premises will have been actively marketed as offices on realistic terms and using more than one medium for a period of at least six months. Other factors to be taken into account will be the condition of the property and the extent of works which would be required to make it suitable for office use and the contribution of a property to the office stock in the locality in terms of its size and quality. Those office buildings within Strategic, Borough and Local Employment Areas are not considered to be suitable for conversion to residential uses due to the potential negative impact upon residential amenity from the surrounding employment uses and the need to retain employment in these areas.

Homeworking

2.68 Homeworking was the term traditionally given to work such as machining, assembling or sorting, put out by companies to people, mainly women, to undertake in their own homes. The work sometimes involved little skill, was poorly paid and the people undertaking it were not treated by the companies as employees. They therefore did not receive the normal employee benefits.

2.69 More recently, working from home has become more common because of the opportunities offered by new technology (computers, fax machines) to enable people to work at least part of the week away from the office. Sometimes work such as word processing, computer programming or data entry is put out by companies. Also the increasing trend of people setting up their own businesses has often involved, at least initially, people working from home.

2.70 For some people homeworking, or working from home, are important ways of earning a living especially if they would not be able to do a job away from home. This is sometimes the case for people with disabilities and those who have to fit working around caring and domestic responsibilities.

2.71 Whether homeworking or working at home requires planning permission or not is largely a matter of the scale of activity concerned. Where planning permission is required, the Council will generally give favourable consideration to applications as long as there is no adverse effect on the amenities of immediate neighbours and the surrounding area. However all applications are dealt with on their merits.

2.72 This policy is intended to assist individuals working at a very small scale. It does not apply to larger scale homeworking activities which would almost certainly lead to environmental problems. Where there is persistent nuisance from homeworking activities the Council will use its statutory powers (including planning and environmental health legislation) to stop the nuisance.

2.73 Any activity on a scale large enough to take a substantial part of a dwelling out of residential use would be contrary to housing policy HSG3 which seeks to prevent any loss of housing.

Live-Work units

2.74 Live-work units are composite C3 (dwelling) and B1 (business) use developments in which the business floorspace is proportionately greater. They can provide valuable accommodation for starter businesses or for people to expand a business that they are operating from their current dwelling. By combining residential and business uses in one unit they can provide substantial cost savings. However, being composite uses, there would normally be permitted development rights to change to solely one use or the other; these rights will be removed either by condition or legal agreement to ensure that a proportion of the business floorspace is retained. Live-work units also assist in reducing the need to travel and in this respect the Council will consider the need to impose conditions to ensure that those working in these developments also reside there.

2.75 Sites may become available where craft workshops/live-work could be provided. The most suitable locations for such provision will be where the area has a partly commercial character, providing that proposals would not conflict with other plan policies in this and Chapter 4 (Town Centres, Retailing and Leisure). In this regard, the development of live-work in designated Strategic Employment Areas will not be permitted due to the potential incompatibility between residential and general industrial uses and the need to protect London's best employment areas for a range of commercial uses. Live-work units are also considered unsuitable in Local Employment Areas because they would fundamentally alter the character of these areas.

2.76 Live-work may be suitable in non-designated employment areas where their development would assist in alleviating a juxtaposition between residential and general industrial use and would not result in the loss of buildings and land that is well suited for continued employment use. Although live-work units are not normally considered appropriate in Borough Employment Areas (see policy INB1) they may be acceptable in exceptional circumstances. This could entail their development as part of a mixed use employment only scheme which predominantly consists of dedicated business premises where a site or premises have remained vacant for a significant period of time. Such mixed developments will only be considered favourably where the live-work element is necessary to enable redevelopment that would otherwise not have taken place under prevailing market conditions.

2.77 They may also be suitable where the retail and service function of neighbourhood shopping centres and non-designated parades has contracted. In order to enhance the area's vitality and viability the reuse of vacant properties for business or mixed business/residential use may be considered appropriate if a property is capable of suitable conversion and where there is no adverse effect upon amenity. Live-work developments in Walthamstow Major Centre and the borough's District Centres could enhance vitality providing that the essential retail and service function would not be undermined. Each application here will be considered on its merits against those policies contained in the Chapter 4 (Town Centres, Retail and Leisure).

2.78 Because the dual use of live-work units can be taken into account in the design of the buildings, many of the physical problems associated with homeworking (see policy INB9) can be eliminated. However, in considering applications for such uses the Council will be guided by its standards for new development contained in the Chapter 7: Open Environment and Chapter 10: Planning Standards as well as Supplementary Planning Guidance, which is to be produced. As a general rule, applications should have a minimum definable functional workspace of 40 sq.m, conform to car parking standards and have no more than two bedrooms in each unit. This is because they are not considered to be appropriate for use as family accommodation. They will also be required to have regard to the character of existing residential areas.

Small Firms

2.79 Small businesses can be defined as possessing under 50 employees. They are an important component of a successful and dynamic economy and are a major source of employment in Waltham Forest. In 1997, 86% of all enterprises in the borough possessed 10 employees or less; a further 12% of businesses employed greater than 10 employees but less than 100 and the remaining 2% of firms employed greater than 100 persons.

2.80 The Council has recognised the need to assist small businesses by seeking to improve the provision of suitable accommodation (e.g. the Alpha Business Centre). The Council will monitor the supply and demand in relation to small business units and will where justified encourage the provision of such accommodation. The diversity of small businesses themselves means that their accommodation requirements are varied. Therefore flexibility within developments and a range of size, design and cost of units across the borough is important.

2.81 Older premises which are no longer required for their original use often prove difficult to let as they stand, because they do not meet the modern standards of layout and facilities now required for large companies. However, they can often be successfully converted to provide reasonably priced accommodation for small businesses (e.g. Leyton Industrial Village, Roxwell Trading Park, Forest Business Centre).

2.82 A growing element of the small business sector has been within cultural industries. These include advertising, art and antiques markets, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, interactive leisure software, music, the performing arts, publishing, software, television and radio production. Creative and cultural industries appear to have located in small clusters around Walthmstow Major Centre and other District Centres in the borough. There are benefits from facilitating the continuation of this trend in terms of diversifying the local economy and adding to the vibrancy of local areas. The current and emerging proposals for Walthamstow Major Centre under the New Opportunities for Walthamstow Single Regeneration Budget 5 programme should be seen as facilitating and complementing this trend.

Railway Arches

2.83 There are a significant number of railway arch premises underneath the Barking-Gospel Oak line, stretching from Capworth Street in the north to High Road Leytonstone in the south. They provide a diverse range of commercial uses and premises for small businesses which are largely within the business use class, but also include retail and leisure. Commercial uses will be encouraged in these areas subject to there being no adverse effect upon the vitality and viability of designated shopping centres or upon the amenity of surrounding residential areas. Due to the proximity of the borough's railway arches to residential areas, the Council will resist uses that would create unnecessary noise, pollution, congestion or other adverse effects and will impose conditions upon permitted uses restricting their hours of operation. Car breakers have proven to be an unacceptable neighbour to surrounding residential areas. The Council will seek to actively reduce this use in the railway arches and will resist further developments of this nature in these areas.

2.84 Traditionally, the environment of these areas has been relatively poor due to a lack of investment in premises and some bad neighbour uses; the Council will work with the tenants and landlord to create improvements. Where existing uses create adverse effects on the amenity of the surrounding area, the Council may use its statutory powers to create improvements, including by the use of enforcement action where necessary. Applications for change of use or to extend premises where uses pre-date planning controls will be considered in light of the compatibility of the existing use with the surrounding area.

Training and Access to Employment Opportunities

2.85 Surveys undertaken in 2000 by the North London and London East Training and Enterprise Councils (NLTEC and LETEC) indicated that there is a widening skills gap between those possessed by unemployed residents and the skills demanded by employers in both expanding and traditional businesses. Most employers now have a general requirement for prospective employees to possess basic literacy, numeracy and computing skills as well as relevant work experience. In addition, there appears to be limited training for existing employees; only approximately half of employers in the LETEC area provided employee training in 1998-99, with the situation being worst within in the small business sector.

2.86 To avoid skill shortages it is important that the skills of the local population match employer requirements, particularly those of local businesses, because local employment can reduce the need to travel and therefore reduce environmental problems of car based commuting. Local employment also assists those elements of the population who are less able to travel beyond a local level and therefore can contribute towards economic and social inclusion. Training programmes can play a vital role in increasing the total number of local people in employment and their overall skill levels. The Council will liaise with the Learning and Skills Councils to seek to ensure that proposals for business development include strategies aimed at meeting the training and employment needs of local residents. In this respect the Council will refer to Circular 05/2005 (Planning Obligations) which identifies those circumstances where it is reasonable for a Local Authority to seek certain types of benefit by way of planning obligation in order to facilitate and enhance development proposals. Where appropriate, this will include end user jobs and jobs involved in the construction process. Training should particularly address the needs of women, people from black and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, who, local research has shown, tend to experience discrimination in the labour market. Therefore, in considering the balance of advantage of large scale employment developments, local training provision will be a material factor.

Workplace Nurseries

2.87 There are many people, predominantly women, who are deterred from taking up paid employment because of childcare responsibilities. A significant number will have valuable skills, qualifications and experience. Workplace nurseries can be a particularly good form of childcare provision because they minimise the difficulty of parent/child separation and avoid the need for extra journeys to childminders etc. The Council will actively encourage the provision of workplace nurseries in areas of employment concentrations and where large scale employment developments are proposed, including expansions of existing firms.

Development of Hotels

2.88 For the purposes of this Plan, the definition of hotels covers uses within the C1 (hotels) use class, such as commercial serviced accommodation including guest houses and bed and breakfast establishments open to visiting members of the public on a short stay basis. Hence, this policy relates only to short stay hotel accommodation for people whose residence is elsewhere. Policies for hostel accommodation for people who would otherwise be homeless are dealt with separately in the Housing Chapter (see policy HSG13).

2.89 In responding to the Tourism Strategy and Action Plan for London, LPAC have emphasised a need to promote new hotel development outside Central London and the need to evaluate the scope of developing low and medium cost accommodation. In addition, the London Development Partnership have identified a target of 10,000 hotel beds to be provided in the capital between 2001 and 2006. The existing provision of hotels and tourist accommodation in Waltham Forest is limited and further beds would be welcome. There are some tourist attractions within and extending beyond the borough and others not far away. These include the William Morris Gallery, Lee Valley Park, Epping Forest and the Royal Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey. Visitors to these could enhance the local economy. Moreover, as the Council's Tourism Strategy identifies, the borough is well served by transport infrastructure so that there is the potential to meet demand from tourists visiting Central London, but seeking an Outer London base. There is also likely to be an increase in visitors to friends and relatives in the borough due to the general increase in leisure time (see Chapter 4 - Town Centres, Retail and Leisure).

2.90 Bearing in mind the diverse nature of tourist and visitor interests, it will be necessary to consider the merits of any proposals within the broad guidelines outlined above as well as the Council's parking standards at Appendix 1. This may include the need to provide coach parking. Hotel developments should be located in commercial rather than residential areas.

2.91 The development of facilities purely for visitors can be detrimental to the local environment and amenity of residents, as by definition, they are provided primarily for people from outside the area. Therefore, when considering the balance of advantage to permitting such proposals, the provision of local benefits such as jobs or support for local services will be an important consideration. The policies of the Environmental Chapter of the Plan will also be important considerations when weighing the benefits of such proposals.

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