Local businesses have a three-week window from today to have their say about their current and future needs.

A first for Marlborough, the region-wide survey is a response to national requirements as the Marlborough District Council works to ensure its plans provide sufficient land for the future growth of businesses.

“The Council also wants to make sure that the right type of business land is provided, and in the right locations, to enable businesses to grow,” said Council strategic planner, Emma Toy.

The Housing and Business Development Capacity Assessment will be used to inform the Council’s planning and will include all business types, covering both floor space and land area requirements. The survey will ask businesses to make projections for the next five years. It will be repeated in three years’ time.

“We are keen to look at how people are currently operating; are they in an office space or on an industrial lot? Is it meeting their current needs? Do they want to grow and is their current space likely to constrain them,” said Emma. “The Council needs to provide adequate space for business so we can support the economic development of the region.”

“We know that the challenges presented to businesses by COVID-19 will continue to pose significant hurdles for future plans. However, we would still like to hear what businesses think for the future as it currently stands,” she said.

The survey only takes 10 minutes and responses need to be in by Friday 18 December. Responses are confidential and businesses will not be identified. Collated results will be published in a report in 2021.

It can be accessed here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/UrbanDevlop

More information about urban development capacity can be found on the Council’s website: https://bit.ly/33fE3nZ

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