Discovery Park (Pfizer) Local Development Order
Introduction
Over fifty years, Pfizer’s Research and
Development facility at Sandwich in East Kent grew to become one of
Europe’s most important centres for pharmaceutical research and
drug discovery. However, changes to the global pharmaceutical
industry, resulted in Pfizer announcing in February 2011 that it
intended to refocus their activities at the Sandwich site, with the
potential loss of 2,400 jobs, many of them highly skilled.
This presented a major challenge to the East
Kent economy, which has is also faced with significant job losses
in the public sector and the closure of other major employers, such
as Dungeness nuclear power station. In direct response to
this the Government established the Sandwich Economic Development
Task Force which had the remit of supporting employees and
contractors directly affected by Pfizer’s refocused activity at the
Sandwich site, exploring new opportunities for the future of the
site and developing a wider strategy for the long term economic
future of East Kent.
Discovery Park Enterprise Zone
In August 2011, the Government announced that
that the Task Force had been successful in securing Enterprise Zone
designation, giving business rate discounts, simplified planning
arrangements and the potential for improved superfast broadband and
future capital allowances to investors and occupiers on the
site. You can download a copy of a plan showing the area
covered by the Discovery
Park Enterprise Zone.
With a core of employment now secure on the
site, significant financial support available to local businesses
and strong investor interest, the Enterprise Zone has the potential
to contribute to a positive future for Discovery Park. Since
the Task Force has been established the following has been
achieved:
- Pfizer have marketed the
site as Discovery Park to investors and end-users, and are
currently in commercially confidential negotiations with new
investors to acquire the site in 2012;
- Pfizer have announced that 650 jobs
are to be retained at Discovery Park, primarily in
pharmaceutical science, with over 50 further jobs retained in other
research and facilities management companies – providing a core of
activity on the site;
- A package of £40 million to support
business growth in East Kent – including at Discovery Park
– has been secured from the Government’s Regional Growth Fund;
- The site’s attractiveness to investors has
been reinforced with a full £25 million funding flood alleviation
package to deliver 1 in 200 year flood protection
for the Pfizer site and the town of Sandwich;
- Transport connections to Sandwich are being
improved, with the start of direct rail services from
Sandwich to London St Pancras using High Speed One in
September and the East Kent Access road scheme
nearing completion;
- Support has been given by Pfizer to staff and
contractors seeking to establish new businesses,
retaining the skills base in the area.
Local Development Order
The planning mechanism for implementing an
Enterprise Zone at Discovery Park is a Local Development Order
(LDO). A LDO is intended to encourage new start-up businesses and
other investors with simplified planning rules.
The LDO will need to take account of sensitive
European habitats that surround the site, the need to comply with
the Habitat Regulations and Environmental Impact Assessment, and
issues of flood risk. It will be important therefore to draft the
LDO in consultation with a range of organizations Environment
Agency, English Heritage, Natural England, Kent County Council,
Sandwich Town Council and Thanet District Council.
The site has an established employment
function and covered by Policy LE9 in Dover District Council’s
Local Plan which permits appropriate B1/B2 and B8 employment uses.
The existing R&D and office buildings are likely to need to be
adapted to multi-business occupation and this may involve some
external work.
The exact details about how the LDO will
operate are currently being worked up. The aim of the LDO would be
to remove the need to make planning applications for
development of the site within the identified scope, similar to the
existing saved policies of the Local Plan. This will provide a
clear framework for business development making it easier to
achieve economic growth. Similarly it is expected that the LDO will
cover change of uses without the need for planning applications.
Maximum flexibility in the use of buildings and land for employment
purposes will be encouraged. Discovery Park will benefit from
business rate discounts of up to 100%, a guarantee of good access
to superfast broadband, and a simplified planning process.
How can I find out more information about the Enterprise
Zone?
Businesses interested in finding out more
about Discovery Park Enterprise Zone should contact Locate in Kent
on 01732 520700, or email enquiries@locateinkent.com
For more information about the Local
Development Order:
Mike Ebbs, Regeneration Delivery Manager,
Dover District Council 01304 872472 regenerationdelivery@Dover.gov.uk.
Contact
Tel: 01304 872477
Email: regenerationdelivery@dover.gov.uk
