Criteria for Assessing Retail Development

6.20 Shopping development will only be acceptable if, in addition to the locational criteria of POLICY GS 2 ‘THE LOCATION OF RETAIL AND KEY TOWN CENTRE AND LEISURE USES’, POLICY GS 3 ‘SCALE OF RETAIL PROPOSALS’ and Policy S 1 ‘Sequential Approach for Retail and other Key Town Centre or Leisure Uses’, all the criteria of Policy S 2 ‘Criteria for Assessing Retail Developments’ are met. These criteria are to ensure that:-

  • the need for the development is demonstrated;
  • proposals are appropriate to the role of the centre and the catchment that the development is intended to serve;
  • a sequential approach to site selection has been undertaken;
  • proposed developments are of an appropriate scale;
  • do not create unacceptable environmental, amenity, highways or other problems;
  • proposed developments maintain the viability and vitality of the existing centres;
  • proposed developments are accessible to all including those dependent on public transport;
  • sustainability criteria are applied to the consideration of the application; and
  • proposed developments ensure the provision of a high quality environment.

6.21 Reference should also be made to other UDP Policies such as, those on design, POLICY GBE 1 ‘THE CONTRIBUTION OF DESIGN TO THE QUALITY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT’ and Policy BE 1 ‘General Design Criteria’; landscaping Policy BE 3 ‘Landscaping’; and the provision of publicly available toilet facilities Policy BE 8 ‘Access for All’ and Policy BE 9 ‘The Provision of Public Conveniences and Baby Facilities’. Other UDP policies may also have implications for retail developments, such as those on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas, and this cross-reference does not intend to be comprehensive but rather indicative. Other matters may also be of relevance and be regarded as a material consideration when determining any planning application.

6.22 All retail applications in excess of 2,500sq.m (gross area) in locations outside the designated town centres should be supported by a Retail Assessment in accordance with PPS6. Proposals within town centres should demonstrate that they relate to the role, scale, and character of the centre and the catchment the development is intended to serve. All retail developments of this size will be referred to the Secretary of State under the Town and Country Planning (Shopping Development) (England and Wales) (No.2) Direction 1993. Such assessments may occasionally be necessary for smaller developments depending on the size and nature of the development in relation to the centre concerned. Transport Assessments may be required under the terms of POLICY GT 5 ‘TRANSPORT ASSESSMENTS ’ where the effects of the development upon the highway network could be significant or give cause for concern.

6.23 In order for the sequential approach outlined in POLICY GS 1 ‘RETAIL STRATEGY’ and Policy S 1 ‘Sequential Approach for Retail and other Key Town Centre or Leisure Uses’ to work properly, developers must be prepared to be flexible in their requirements for space and land. In seeking to find a site in or on the edge of an existing town centre, developers should be able to demonstrate that they have been flexible about their proposed business model in terms of the following considerations: -

  • the scale of their development;
  • the format of their development;
  • car parking provision; and
  • the scope for disaggregation.

6.24 For example, the shape of a site may not be ideally suited to a rectangular box, but it may accept an ‘L’ shaped structure. Developers must consider whether the alternative available sites or methods of trading including operating from separate sites can meet their requirements. As part of this exercise developers should explore whether specific parts of their proposals could be operated from separate sequentially preferable sites. PPS6 provides further policy advice on this issue. As a result it is important to set out the criteria against which planning applications for retail developments will be assessed as follows:-

Policy S 2

Criteria for Assessing Retail Developments

Applications for all retail developments will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:-

Part A : For ALL locations:-

  1. the proposals relate to the role, scale and character of the centre and the catchment the development is intended to serve;
  2. the development creates no unacceptable environmental, amenity, traffic, safety, or other problems;
  3. the development preserves or enhances Conservation Areas and does not adversely affect Listed Buildings or their settings, where these are material considerations; and
  4. all other relevant UDP Policies are met.
and PART B : For all locations NOT WITHIN town centres:-
  1. the 'need' for the development is demonstrated;
  2. having been flexible about the scale, format and design of the development and the provision of car parking, there are no reasonable prospects of the proposed development being accommodated on an alternative town centre site(s);
  3. there will be no serious effect (either on its own or cumulatively with other similar permissions) upon the vitality and viability of any nearby town centre, as a whole;
  4. the proposed development is located where it can serve shoppers using public transport or other modes of transport such as pedestrians or cyclists as well as those travelling by car;
  5. the likely effect on overall travel patterns and car use, the objective being the reduction in travel mileage;
  6. the implications for other relevant UDP policies which relate to the use of the site; and
  7. the development would not undermine the retail strategy of the Plan.

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