In order to sustain and enhance employment capacity (including land, floorspace and/or jobs):

• employment floorspace will be protected and the loss strongly resisted on the Strategic Employment Sites, which are defined in policy E1. Change of use will only be acceptable if evidence is provided of active and comprehensive marketing of the site for its current use (offices, research and development or industrial) for a continuous period of at least two years
• employment floorspace will be protected and the loss resisted on the Locally Significant Employment Sites, which are defined in policy E1. Change of use will only be acceptable if evidence is provided of active and comprehensive marketing of the site for its current use (offices, research and development or industrial) for a continuous period of at least 18 months
• employment floorspace will be protected in line with latest needs assessment and the loss be resisted outside designated employment sites. Change of use will only be acceptable if evidence is provided of active and comprehensive marketing of the site for its current use (offices, research and development or industrial) for a continuous period of at least 12 months.

Once the period of comprehensive and active marketing is achieved, any other suitable employment use should be considered before change of use to residential or other use will be permitted.

The redevelopment of outmoded employment floorspace will be permitted to cater for modern business needs. The provision of improved ICT infrastructure will be encouraged in refurbished and redeveloped sites.