Economic Impact and Employment Land

The Government has an objective to kickstart economic growth in the UK. Within planning and development, this means identifying and delivering employment land which can facilitate jobs and economic growth across an area. This sits alongside delivering housing, infrastructure, and other types of development, and allows communities to thrive and prosper.

Viable Placemaking are a planning consultancy with a specialism in development economics and our team have extensive experience in statistical analysis, needs/supply assessments, and evaluating a developments economic impact.

Economic Impact Assessments

An Economic Impact Assessment is a specialist report which will investigate the implications of a proposal and how it will contribute to local jobs and the economy throughout the construction and operational phases.

Economic Impact Assessments consider local jobs markets and national performance data, and analyse a proposed development to evaluate its overall impacts. Often these will be submitted with planning applications to showcase the number of jobs created, construction costs into the local economy, gross value added from a scheme, and wider economic benefits.

Demonstrating the economic benefits of a development can be the difference between a scheme being approved or refused, so if you would like to discuss how Viable Placemaking can support your application.

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Economic and Employment Needs and Land

Alongside housing needs/supply, a Council also needs to identify and provide adequate land to provide jobs and support economic growth. Alongside our work in the public sector, employment needs reports can also be prepared as part of planning applications and appeals to make a more robust case for the development.

Viable Placemaking's team have experience preparing an array of detailed, expert employment needs reports at every stage of the planning process, including:

Employment Needs Assessment
Employment Land Reviews
Economic and viability analysis for local plan submissions

If you are considering a development and would like to strengthen your submission through an employment needs case, feel free to to get in touch.

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Economic Viability

As a town planning consultancy with a specialism in viability, we are also able to provide expert viability assessments to evaluate the economic viability of a scheme. There are three main types of viability assessments which Viable Placemaking are asked to help with:

1. Planning Obligation Viability

Viability Assessment into a development's ability to provide/contribute towards planning obligations - such as affordable housing, open space, NHS contributions, and other Section 106 matters. These assessments are covered in a separate page - linked here!

2. Heritage Viability

Optimal/most viable use of a heritage asset - you can find more information on this type of assessment in our dedicated heritage page here.

3. Economic Viability

Viability Assessment demonstrating whether an existing/proposed use could occur. For example, an existing pub is going to be converted to a dwelling and the Council want to see evidence that the pub is no longer viable and why it could not be in the future.

This second type of assessment is really where Viable Placemaking's expertise in development

economics comes into play - as we are able to review the local commercial market, sectoral analysis alongside business performance data to provide the local planning authority with an independent opinion on the viability of a use. If you would like more information on this type of viability report, please don't hesitate to get in touch and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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Related Services and Insights

EIA Major Industrial Development approved

Economic Impact Assessment secures Major Industrial Development

Functional Economic Market Areas

Economic Impact Assessment supports major development