Inclusive & affordable employment
Policy WS/IO sets out how new developments should support the skills and training needs of local residents and provide opportunities for local businesses. The policy demonstrates that importance will be given to appropriately scaled developments that support local employment contributions to help to ensure that the local community benefits from the development.
CEG fully support this policy direction and the site presents a significant opportunity to make an important contribution to the Councils’ aims of creating inclusive employment in the area. Dependent on the scale of development at the site, this would be a notable local benefit of Green Belt release, which should be considered in the context of existing employment facilities at PTP. There is an established employment market in this location and expansion of this market could readily generate opportunities for local people to train in the higher-skilled sectors, through on-site apprenticeships for example, providing significant community benefit. This would further support the provision of a skilled labour force and mitigate the need for greater in commuting to Greater Cambridge, linking to the climate change theme throughout the Reg 18 consultation.
On a similar note, Policy J/AW proposes the means by which affordable workspace, including for creative businesses, should be provided across Greater Cambridge. The policy requires affordable workspace – that is, workspace that has a rental value below the market rate (generally, 80% of the market rate or less) – to be delivered as a proportion of larger commercial developments. We support this proposed policy, in particular the inherent flexibility that is provided by including the potential for financial contributions to be made for equivalent off-site provision should on-site provision not be possible.
Delivery of employment development at the site, and the associated contribution it would make, would increase access to affordable flexible spaces for start-up businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Greater Cambridge. As noted in the GCLP, this plays an important role in helping to address social inclusion and it would therefore provide an additional benefit to Green Belt release in this location.