[E]den District Council will be consulting on a proposal to introduce 7 new Food Enterprise Zones by adopting a Local Development Order (LDO).
Eden District Council successfully bid to be one of 15 DEFRA Pathfinder Food Enterprise Zones, aiming to facilitate growth in the food and farming sector through the use of Local Development Orders.
The Local Development Order is designed to encourage food and farming businesses to expand their business activities into processing, packing, and other activities which ‘add value’ to agricultural produce, as part of a wider objective to increase the number of higher paid skilled jobs within Eden District. LDOs help to streamline the planning process by granting planning permission ‘up front’ subject to conditions, to control the type of development which takes place.
The proposed sites for development under the LDO comprise sites where employment use is supported in the emerging Eden Local Plan:
- Gilwilly Extension, Penrith
- Skirsgill, Penrith
- Newton Rigg Campus, Penrith
- Kirkby Stephen Business Park
- Cross Croft Industrial Estate, Appleby
- Old Creamery, Appleby
- Skelgillside Workshops, Alston
Eden District Council Portfolio Holder for Commercial Services, Cllr Mike Slee said: “It is our intention that these Food Enterprise Zones will unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of the countryside. The new zones will free up food and farming businesses, making it simpler and easier for them to grow, and I hope will also attract new businesses to Eden. Local communities will benefit from new jobs and the opportunity to develop local produce, and boost our economy.”
“By responding to the consultation our communities can shape how their businesses can grow while allowing them to protect our valuable countryside.”
It is intended that the LDO will be implemented for a period of five years from the date of adoption, after which time it will be reviewed to determine their impact and effectiveness and to determine whether an extension to the timescale should be considered or whether the LDO requires amendment.
To find out more about the proposed Food Enterprise Zones and to respond to the consultation visit www.eden.gov.uk/local-development-order Copies of the draft Local Development Order are available to view at the Council’s offices and at Local Links Centres at Alston, Appleby and Kirkby Stephen and responses can be submitted in writing.
