Click here to download Quantitive Employment Land Assessment PDF
Colin Buchanan have prepared a report that reviews the proposed future employment demand in Canterbury from 2016 – 2026 and the current draft CCC Employment Land Review for the whole district undertaken by Savills. It is acknowledged that there are sufficient allocations of employment land in the Herne Bay/Whitstable (coastal) market to accommodate business needs to 2016. It is calculated that new employment land is required for the 2016 – 2026 period.
Demand for Employment Floor Space B1-B8 Uses 2016-2026
| Use Class | Estimated employment by use class (sqm) | Floor Space ratios (DTZ) sqm per worker | Floor Space need 2016-2026 (sqm) |
| B1 | 1,242 | 18 | 22,359 |
| B2 | 903 | 38 | 34,320 |
| B8 | 448 | 78 | 34,906 |
| Total Space | 2,593 | n/a | 91,54 |
The total estimated floor space need for Canterbury District over this period is 91,548 sqm. The Annual Business Inquiry figures show the share of employment in the coastal sub-market (ie the coastal towns of Herne Bay and Whitstable) has remained stable at 27% of the total district. Applying this percentage to the total floor space estimate would give a requirement for this area of a district of approximately 24,500 sqm.
Summary Calculations: The Floor Space Requirement
| Requirement / Loss | Employment Floor Space in 2016-2026 (sqm) | Share to Herne Bay / Coastal | Projected Need – Herne Bay / Coastal |
| Additional Employment | 91,584 | 27% | 24,728 |
| Estimated Loss | 111,425 | 27% | 30,085 |
| Total | 203,009 | n/a | 54,812 |
The projected need for employment floor space in Herne Bay based on demand from additional employment and estimated annual losses between 2016 and 2026 is 54,812 sqm. This figure is above the proposed quantum of employment floor space proposed at Hillborough, which envisages 12 ha of employment land being provided at an employment floor space density similar to the adjoining Altira Business Park. It could therefore yield some 33,860 sqm of B1/B2/B8 floor space. This would leave 20,680 sqm of floor space or approximately 7.3 hectares of employment land to be provided elsewhere in the Coastal Towns to meet this trend-based projection.
As such, the site provides a significant amount of floor space to re address this imbalance post 2016. The continuation of Altira Business Park would be a natural progression of an under construction employment site in Herne Bay that would ensure its delivery.
