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10 Employment and Retail
Policy W7: Employment & Retail
A. Proposals to strengthen the local economy through the development of new small-scale employment and retail uses, including flexible start-up/small scale accommodation, will be supported within or on the edge of settlements provided they:
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i. do not lead to a net loss of retail or existing employment floorspace; ii. do not adversely impact on neighbouring residential properties by noise, odour, dust, vibration or vehicle emissions; iii. do not have an adverse effect on the existing transport network due to the requirement for significant commercial vehicle movements on inadequate rural routes.
B. Proposals to enable working from home which require planning permission will be supported, provided the business use remains ancillary to the main residential use and there is no significant harm caused to local residential amenity by way of car parking, traffic movements or noise.
C. Proposals that intensify HGV movements on narrow, unsuitable rural roads and their junctions and, which damage verges and risk the safety of pedestrians and cyclists will also be resisted.
10.1 In the Winkfield Neighbourhood Area there are two designated Local Centres, at Forest Park and Martins Heron. The Martins Heron centre consists principally of a Tesco superstore, with the Forest Park centre consisting of a limited number of smaller stores. There are other small parades of shops in the parish, including at Warren Row and Fernbank Road. Evidence gathered on key commercial facilities to inform the Neighbourhood Plan identified that most parts of the parish are within two miles of a pharmacy, newsagent/general store and a post office, albeit many of these shops are outside the parish. Opportunities to expand retail in the Local Centres is limited so the Neighbourhood Plan seeks a more flexible approach to encourage retail uses within the parish. These uses should be located within or adjacent to existing settlement boundaries (noting the restrictions on development outside Green Belt villages).
10.2 There are no designated employment areas within the parish. Commercial employment is therefore limited, with most opportunities located in Bracknell and to a lesser degree in Crowthorne and Sandhurst. The future need for employment space is difficult to forecast, not least because of the potential long-term impact of Covid on the way we work. However, opportunities to provide small scale, flexible workspace within the parish should be encouraged. More people are likely to be working flexibly in future, both in the way that larger companies work in more disaggregated workplaces and with the possible growth of micro-businesses and start-ups taking advantage of new opportunities. Both will be looking for such opportunities which often are not provided on large business parks.
10.3 Alongside this, there has been increased office working from home
10.4 Policy W7 therefore seeks to provide a local perspective to employment provision within the area, both for retail and small scale office/commercial space. The intention of such small scale provision would be to provide local employment opportunities and support the local community.
10.5 This policy also updates the support for home working, should proposals require planning permission. The policy is more permissive of such proposals, provided the business operations do not form the main use of the dwelling and its curtilage and are suited to a residential area and its amenities.
