4. Employment

Aims and Objectives

4.1 To secure economic vitality and wealth creation in all communities without causing unacceptable harm to the environment.

4.2 To achieve this aim the key objectives of this chapter are:

• a) to ensure an adequate supply of sites and premises;
  b) to provide a policy framework which will help existing firms to grow and new companies to locate in St Edmundsbury; and
  c) to make sure that the environment of the borough, which is an important part of its economic vitality, is not unacceptably harmed by new employment development.

4.3 The Borough Council’s economic development and planning strategies are linked. The objectives of the economic development strategy are to encourage the establishment of businesses, the growth of existing companies and to attract new inward investment to ensure sustainable economic growth. The Replacement Local Plan can contribute positively to meeting these objectives by ensuring that a balanced portfolio of sites and premises is available to meet inward and indigenous economic growth.

4.4 St Edmundsbury is located in an area of particular economic growth. Major influences on this growth include the borough’s direct relationship to the Cambridge Sub-Region, its location on the A14 Cambridge - Ipswich Corridor and its proximity to the A11 Corridor and Stansted Airport. There is a strong opportunity for St Edmundsbury to capture some of the growth associated with these strategies, including an increased number of jobs. In this context it is essential that suitable sites are identified for growth.