14.8.6 Employment/Enterprise – Zone Z6

Land-Use Zoning Objective Z6:

To provide for the creation and protection of enterprise and facilitate opportunities for employment creation.

It is considered that Z6 lands constitute an important land bank for employment use in the city, which is strategically important to protect. The primary objective is to facilitate long-term economic development in the city region.

The uses in these areas will create dynamic and sustainable employment, and these uses include innovation, creativity, research and development, science and technology2, and the development of emerging industries and technologies, such as green/clean technologies. The permissible uses above will be accommodated in primarily officebased industry and business technology parks developed to a high environmental standard and incorporating a range of amenities, including crèche facilities, public open space, green networks and leisure facilities. A range of other uses including residential, local support businesses, are open for consideration on lands zoned Z6 but are seen as subsidiary to their primary use as employment zones. The incorporation of other uses, such as residential, recreation, and retail uses, will be at an appropriate ratio where they are subsidiary to the main employment generating uses and shall not conflict with the primary land-use zoning objective, nor with the vitality and viability of nearby district centres.

Proposals for development of these lands provide the opportunity to develop sustainable employment use and contribute to developing the strategic green network by providing green infrastructure, landscape protection, public open space, and sustainable energy solutions.

The policy chapters detailing the policies and objectives for economic development and standards respectively (particularly Chapters 6 – City Economy and Enterprise, and Chapter 16 – Development Standards) should be consulted to inform any proposed development.

The uses in this zone are likely to generate a considerable amount of traffic by both employees and service traffic. Sites should, therefore, have good vehicular and public transport access. The implementation of travel plans will provide important means of managing accessibility to these sites.

Within the Z6 zoning, the following development principles shall apply, in addition to complying with land-use zoning:

Employment: To create dynamic and sustainable employment areas. Any redevelopment proposals on Z6 lands should ensure that the employment element on site should be in excess of that on site prior to re-development in terms of the numbers employed and/or floor space.

2 Science and Technology is defined as knowledge-based processes and industrial activities (including ancillary offices) in which research, innovation and development play a significant part, and which lead to and accommodate the commercial production of a high-technology output, i.e. commercial laboratory, data processing, enterprise centre, film production, healthcare, information technology, light industry, media recording and general media-associated uses, publishing, research and development, software development, telemarketing, teleservicing and training.

Uses: To incorporate mixed uses in appropriate ratios. All such uses, including residential and retail, shall be subsidiary to employment-generating uses and shall not conflict with the primary aim of the Z6 land-use zoning to provide for the employment requirements of the city over the Development Plan period and beyond and shall not detract from existing centres.

Transport: To maximise access to public transport connections and proposed public transport infrastructure in accordance with development plan land-use and transportation policies to accommodate the sustainable movement needs of employees (and residents) and to incorporate travel plans.

Built Environment: To create a distinct identity for individual areas with a highquality, physical environment and coherent urban structure.

Landscape: To exploit and integrate natural amenities, biodiversity considerations and emerging strategic green networks in the layout of emerging urban structures (see Sections 10.5.1 – Green infrastructure and 16.2 – Design principles and standards). For large developments, a schematic masterplan will be prepared and submitted as part of the planning application.

Proposed uses (e.g. civic amenity/ recycling centres) with the potential to create significant disamenity to adjoining properties/sites must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the planning authority that such disamenity will be controlled to an acceptable level. The impacts on any existing uses or permissible future use and the nature/sensitivity of such uses will be taken into account in determining the planning application. In some cases, measures such as site re

design, provision of noise insulation or perimeter landscape buffers, containment of yard operations within a building, or comprehensive boundary treatment may help control potential negative externalities. Environmental impact statements may be required in some cases in accordance with legislation.