Lewisham - EC2 Protecting employment land and delivering new workspace

Policy information sourced from the Lewisham Local Plan

EC2 Protecting employment land and delivering new workspace

Strategic Objectives:

C A thriving local economy that tackles inequalities.

A Land within Lewisham’s employment land hierarchy, as set out in Lewisham’s Employment Land Hierarchy, is safeguarded for Class E(g) office and light industrial, Class B2 industrial, Class B8 storage and distribution and related Sui Generis uses. Development proposals must ensure that land-uses are commensurate with the type and function of land within this hierarchy.

B There is a forecast need for 21,800 square metres of net additional office employment floorspace in the Borough up to 2038. Development proposals must contribute to meeting the Borough’s employment need in totality by:

Within Strategic Industrial Locations (SIL) and Locally Significant Industrial Sites (LSIS), retaining and wherever possible delivering net gains in industrial capacity over the life of the Plan, including through intensification, to deliver a minimum of
1. 1,000sqm of Class B8 floorspace, and
2. 4,000sqm of Class B2 floorspace
Facilitating the delivery of new modern workspace through the comprehensive regeneration of Mixed-use Employment Locations (MEL);
Maximising opportunities to deliver new and enhanced workspace, including through appropriate mixed-use development in town and edge-of-centre locations and nondesignated employment sites;
Outside of SIL, and avoiding new development that consists solely or predominantly of Class B8 storage or warehousing uses unless:
1. The site is currently solely or predominantly in storage and warehousing use; and
2. Redevelopment proposals comprise of intensification of storage and warehousing uses and/or employment generating uses appropriate to the site; and
3. The capacity is required to meet the needs of the Central Services Area as set out in London Plan Paragraph 6.4.7.
Ensuring development maintains the Borough’s viable industrial capacity, whether this is existing or consented but not built, having regard to other Local Plan policies.

C Outside of designated employment areas the appropriateness of development proposals for new Class E(g) office and light industrial, Class B2 industrial, Class B8 storage and distribution and similar Sui Generis Uses will be assessed having regard to the nature and scale of the development and:

Its contribution to the delivery of the spatial strategy for the Borough;
Compatibility of the proposed use(s) with the adjoining and neighbouring land uses, including consideration of impacts on local amenity;
Whether the employment provision is for temporary use; and
Compliance with other Local Plan policies.

D Planning conditions will be used to protect new commercial and industrial development from changes of use.

E Where new business floorspace is conditioned for a specific use, changes to another commercial or industrial use appropriate for the site and employment area will only be permitted where there is no reasonable prospect of the unit(s) being retained for the conditioned use. This must be evidenced by a robust and recent marketing exercise covering a minimum continuous period of one year at a reasonable rental or sale value for the local area. Proposals seeking to change the use of existing business floorspace, to another commercial or industrial use will be considered against Local Plan Policies EC5 – EC8. Proposals that result in an increase in industrial capacity will be supported.

Table 8.1: Lewisham’s Employment Land Hierarchy
TYPE	REF	LOCATION	FUNCTION
Strategic Industrial Location	SIL	Bromley Road Surrey Canal Road (including Bermondsey Dive Under)	London’s largest concentrations of industrial, logistics and related capacity for uses that support the functioning of the regional economy. Protected for a wide range of commercial, industrial and related uses, in accordance with the London Plan.
Locally Significant Industrial Site	LSIS	Apollo Business Centre Bermondsey Dive Under (part comprised of railway arches) Blackheath Hill Childers Street West Clyde Vale Endwell Road Evelyn Court Evelyn Street Lewisham Way Lower Creekside Malham Road/118 Stansted Road Manor Lane Molesworth Street Perry Vale Stanton Square Trundleys Road Willow Way Worsley Bridge Road	Lewisham’s main local concentrations of commercial and industrial uses, which perform a niche role to support the function of the sub-regional and local economy. They provide workspace for micro, small and medium sized businesses, including in the cultural, creative and digital industries. Protected for commercial and industrial uses, with priority given to light industrial uses.
Mixed-use Employment Location	MEL	Arklow Road Childers Street Eat Convoys Wharf Grinstead Road Oxestalls Road Plough Way Sun and Kent Wharf Surrey Canal Triangle	Large redundant and/or underused industrial sites where plan-led, mixed-use redevelopment is permitted to support regeneration and enable the delivery of new, modern workspace.
Non-designated employment site	Not Applicable	Dispersed throughout Borough	Smaller commercial and industrial sites scattered across Lewisham, mainly serving local economic catchments, which collectively from an important component of the Borough’s industrial land capacity.

For more information and policy context please see the Lewisham Local Plan