An alliance of public and private sector interest groups have persuaded the Government Office for the North West (GONW) to rethink key proposals in its latest Regional Planning Guidance (RPG).
GONW proposes to redesignate Policy EC6, currently known as ‘Regional Investment Sites’, as ‘Regional Inward Investment Sites’. The change of name reflects GONW’s desire to start reserving strategic sites for occupiers moving into the region.
In another controversial proposal, the draft RPG’s policy EC9 requires office schemes which are likely to “generate significant trips” to be located in urban centres.
But the publication of these policies has triggered widespread concern that they could compromise the region’s appeal to occupiers considering the North West for relocation or expansion.
Critics fear that reserving sites for occupiers moving to the region will disqualify local occupiers on the grounds that their investment in new premises would not qualify as “inward” under the new designation.
Policy EC9, which proposes to restrict occupiers likely to generate high levels of traffic to urban centres, has also attracted criticism.
The North West Development Agency has led objections to this policy, warning that it would damage the viability of out-of-town sites by excluding office-based inward investors from these locations.
The changes – proposed by GONW on behalf of John Prescott’s Office of the Deputy Prime Minister – were the subject of a public consultation period which closed on 16 August, during which GONW received 200 letters.
Mike Morris, senior planning officer at GONW in Manchester, said: “”We have not yet decided which way we will go on EC6 or EC9 but we acknowledge the points raised and have some difficult work ahead.”
The North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) – the group of local councillors which is set to implement the RPG – has also been criticised for its role in drawing up the new guidance.
The NWRA opposes the change to EC6’s name but supports EC9’s proposed shift from out-of-town office developments – some critics have wrongly accused it of backing both policies.
GONW’s RPG will be published at the end of this year or the beginning of next and will provide a legal framework for councils’ planning decisions until 2016.
EGi News 28/08/02
