An easy route for developers to turn Crawley's workplaces into housing has been cut off, after three months' consultation, in what borough councillors described as an attempt to preserve jobs.
It means that a waiver of the need to get planning permission for converting many kinds of business premises into flats and houses no longer applies.
It affects office, light industrial and warehouse premises in Lowfield Heath, the Maidenbower Business Park, the Three Bridges Corridor, and Tilgate Forest Business Centre.
Crawley Borough Council said removing what are called "permitted development rights" followed concerns raised by the local authority and business community that residential development in employment areas is having a negative impact on the operation of these areas and the supply of business land.
The council also had concerns about the quality of life for anyone living in these areas, which the authority said can be noisy, busy places that don't have the supporting facilities found in the town's residential neighbourhoods.
In March 2019, the council's Cabinet approved the 'non-immediate Article 4 Directions', which remove permitted development rights for the conversion of office, light industrial or warehouse premises to residential uses in the above main employment areas.
Before the directions could be introduced a 12-month notification period and a three-month consultation had to be carried out.
This week, the council announced these have now been completed and the directions came into force on 22 February 2021.
Councillor Peter Smith, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development, said:
"Employment land is at a premium in Crawley and it is vital that the main employment areas are protected to support the town's economy, now even more so as we seek to support Crawley's recovery from the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Loss of business space to residential use erodes the town's already limited supply of employment land and undermines our ability to generate the jobs required by so many Crawley residents."
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