In 2019, not 1989, so why, why, why are we still allowing single use, out-of-town, car-dependent business parks like this one?👇(1/10) 
This is Humberside’s Bridgehead Park - apparently a ‘new generation business park’, and which is currently undergoing major expansion. From where I’m sitting it looks uncannily similar to the old generation.. (2/10)
It consists of 50, relentless acres of sprawling office space with acre upon acre of parking. 🚗🚗🚗🚗 (3/10)
No surprises in its main sales pitch: ‘Access is excellent.. at the cross roads of the Humber Region, adjacent to the key A164 Beverley-Hull-Humber Bridge route and the A63, providing direct access to the M62 and the motorway network..’ (4/10)
But it also claims to be ‘greenest of green commercial hubs.. allowing businesses to coexist with the natural environment, owing to ‘low-density development’ and landscaping, ‘ensuring a pleasant, healthier environment for employees and visitors alike.’ (5/10)
Quick reminder: delivering an out-of-town, single-use, car-dependent, B1 business park low density and doing some landscaping around it does not make it sustainable. (6/10)
We can expect lots more of this. Business parks and new roads go hand in hand: more of one leads inevitably to more of the other. With the government’s renewed pledges to support road building, business park investors and advisors are gearing up to roll out the next wave. (7/10)
Savills say ‘business parks are back with a vengeance: ..2 million sq ft of speculative space has been built on UK parks since 2011’. And CBRE predicts ‘a lack of city centre stock will stimulate a new generation of suburban business parks by 2040’. 😬 (8/10)
This time round, business parks will be more focused on tech, amenities (nurseries, food + beverages) and greener buildings than in the 1980s: but the car-dependent model is identical (and no, this isn’t solved by EV charging points..). (9/10)
We’ve known for decades that business parks are a fundamentally unsustainable and damaging way to provide space for business.. they’re a national addiction we need to crack. That needs the planning system to get a grip on the problem. (10/10)
