Council planners focus efforts on food enterprises

A Suffolk council is seeking to capitalise on the local food industry with the creation of two new food-centred enterprise zones.

The food enterprise zones are designed to help existing local businesses expand and encourage new businesses to start up in designated areas with relaxed planning rules. 

Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council corporate manager for spatial planning policy Rich Cooke told Planning: "We aim to boost entrepreneurialism in the countryside and with food producers.

"We were one of the few councils to win funding to introduce new zones in their area. This requires drafting and getting to adoption local development orders for the two new zones in Suffolk.”

The council is looking to recruit a senior planning policy officer to focus on the new zones.

"This new post became available after our successful bid for external funding to build up our local economy," said Cooke.

"It is based on two cluster areas with food-related businesses and we want to simplify planning to help those companies put together business plans and expansion initiatives". 

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Caption: Cookhouse Home & Garden and food hall. Picture: Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council