Modify paragraph to acknowledge that the development requirements of the horticultural industry have evolved over time and these need to be accommodated going forward.

The horticultural policy has remained largely static since over many years and has failed to acknowledge changing working and production trends within the industry.

Whilst the Council’s tradition of supporting the horticultural industry, to the extent that it has and proposes to do in the draft Local Plan, is welcomed, it should be acknowledged that the restrictive policies that have been in place to date have directly obstructed growth in the industry by constraining the ability of the HDAs to accommodate ancillary and functionally-linked land uses that are now essential to realise the growth potential of the food cluster.

The draft Local Plan currently fails to allow for the functionally linked and associated development required to support and maintain the competitiveness of a world-class horticultural cluster.

See Section 4 of the Savills SREBR for further detail.