Development of a major office campus for EPIC
Hardisty Jones delivered an appraisal of the economic impact of the development of a major office campus for an international HQ on Green Belt land to the west of Bristol.
Healthcare and IT business Epic submitted a hybrid planning application for the development of an office development comprising the development of three office buildings, culinary building, training centre and auditorium, and outline permission for a further two office buildings.
Hardsity Jones was commissioned by North Somerset Council to deliver an appraisal of the proposed development’s economic impact. This included an independent assessment of a report prepared by Savills, which set out the socio-economic benefits of the scheme, to provide clarity on whether their findings were robust and accurate or whether benefits had been over or underestimated.
We delivered an assessment of the gross direct and net additional local benefits, in terms of employment and GVA, of the proposed development and compared these to the report prepared by Savills. The wider economic impact of the proposed development was considered alongside its contribution to policy objectives. This provided a more qualitative assessment of how the proposed development will affect investment into the Life Sciences and Health Tech sectors and align with policy ambitions set out in North Somerset and the West of England areas.
The application pertained to land within the North Somerset element of the Bristol and Bath Green Belt. For development to be permitted in the Green Belt it is necessary for the applicant to demonstrate very special circumstances. From an economic perspective, in this case, very special circumstances would exist if the proposed development delivers:
- An exceptional quantity of employment.
- Exceptional quality of jobs.
- A unique proposal with a strong policy fit.
Our work showed that the proposed development will create significant amount of good quality employment in North Somerset with a large proportion of jobs being professional and technical roles which require an undergraduate degree. The proposed development would also increase the area’s attractiveness to inward investment.
Despite significant objections, permission was awarded for the development, recognising the contribution of its economic benefits to very special circumstances.
If you would like to talk to us about how we can support your efforts to make the case for and assess the economic impacts for a development, please get in touch using the project lead contact details provided below.
