Policy information sourced from Dacorum Local Plan 2004 Alteration

31 General Employment Areas

Development and redevelopment will be permitted in General Employment Areas for the range of employment generating uses set out in the table below.

Proposed Uses

Business use development will be directed to the General Employment Areas listed as core office locations in the table below.

Development for business and other uses will be encouraged in mixed use General Employment Areas (i.e. where business and other uses are listed as appropriate in the table below). However the redevelopment of established industrial or storage and distribution sites over 2 hectares in area will not be permitted unless at least half the site is retained for these uses. This provision will be relaxed if:

  • the site is unsuitable for industry or storage and distribution;
  • other planning requirements in the Table of General Employment Areas take priority; or
  • the applicant proves there is no need for such floorspace.

In other General Employment Areas, business use development will not normally be permitted except:

  • as a necessary ancillary use;
  • where an established business use would be replaced;
  • where it is small-scale, i.e. less than 235 sq m in area; or
  • where it creates provision which is needed specifically for users of modern industrial buildings or mixed business use buildings – these latter buildings should normally be designed to meet criteria (i) to (iii) in Policy 30 (ref. item (c)).

Development Criteria

The scale and nature of development proposals in General Employment Areas will be assessed having regard to:

  • the character of the particular General Employment Area;
  • other planned development;
  • the character of adjoining areas;
  • the accessibility of the location for motorised vehicles, passenger transport, cyclists and pedestrians; and
  • traffic generation and highway impact.

Please see the table on pages 123 to 131.

For more information please see the Local Plan