In this chapter

• Introduction to development management policy
• Housing
• Climate change
• Nature and ecosystem services
• Green Belt
• Jobs and economy
• Healthy, vibrant and inclusive communities
  • Policy HVC/TC: Town centre retail hierarchy and development
  • Policy HVC/TCD: Town, district and local centre development
  • Policy HVC/LS: Dispersed local shops
  • Policy HVC/H: Health and wellbeing
  • Policy HVC/HIA: Health impact assessments
  • Policy HVC/HFT: Hot food takeaways
  • Policy HVC/CF: Community facilities
  • Policy HVC/PS: Safeguarding land for primary school use
  • Policy HVC/PSC: Primary school capacity
  • Policy HVC/C: Safeguarding land for cemeteries
  • Policy HVC/A: Protecting allotments
  • Policy HVC/B: Broadband connection at new residential properties
  • Policy HVC/LGS: Local green spaces
• Heritage and design
• Sustainable transport
• Pollution, contamination and safety
• Minerals and waste
• Waste
• Infrastructure

Policy HVC/TCD: Town, district and local centre development

About this page

How this part of the Local Plan Options Document works

These Development Management policy option pages contain the following sections:

Policy background

• Relevant national policy or regulations
• National or regional trends
• Local situation and needs/li>
• How we have dealt with this issue in the past
• The thinking behind the policy

Policy options for the new Local Plan

We may suggest a variety of approaches:

• Keeping existing policy as it is
• Making small changes
• Replacing the policy with something that is substantially different
• Identifying factors or events which may affect this policy in the future

Policy option analysis

• A list of the advantages and disadvantages that we have identified for each of the policy options we are presenting.

More on this topic

View the Topic Paper on Healthy and Vibrant Communities and Appendix 3: Proposed changes to Local Centre designations for in-depth focus about this topic, and the evidence which informs our policy. Visit our library of Local Plan Options supporting documents to learn more. 

Explore the policy

Select a section below to read more.

Policy background

9.286 The NPPF states that planning policies should set out policies which make clear which uses will be permitted in the centres within the hierarchy.

9.287 Changes in the Use Class Order and the new Class E use ‘Commercial, Business and Service’ combines a number of former uses commonly found in town centres, in particular shops, restaurants, health clinics, offices, some leisure such as gyms into a single Use Class E. Public houses, and entertainment venues for example cinemas, theatres and nightclubs and hot food takeaways and betting shops are not within a use class (sui generis) and therefore would need permission for any change of use. The Government noted that the reforms were primarily aimed at creating vibrant, mixed use town centres by allowing businesses greater freedom to change to a broader range of compatible uses which communities expect to find on modern high streets, as well as more generally in town and city centres.

9.288 The NPPF no longer requires Primary Shopping Frontages to be identified in centres. As the new Class E use class does not distinguish between shops and other business and service uses, the practical application of focusing shops (former A1 use class) within this designation is no longer appropriate. However Primary Shopping Areas, where there is a contiguous concentration of main town centre uses, are still required to be the focus for retail development, and the Primary Shopping Area boundary forms the boundary for applying the sequential test (town centre first) policy.

Policy options for the new Local Plan

9.289 As stated above the Primary Shopping Frontage policy including policy map designations and related requirements in Policy CR3 is no longer aligned to national policy and use class E. Therefore, Primary Shopping Frontages are not proposed to be defined in this Local Plan. In relation to development in town centres, the proposed policy identifies the approach in Primary Shopping Areas and within district and local centres. Flexibility and diversity, and maintaining active ground floor uses is a key consideration in the policy approach. Outside the Primary Shopping Areas flexibility and supporting a diversity of town centre uses is also important. Within Conservation Areas and in Listed Buildings there is also increased control based on the character of the area and shop frontages.

Option A

Adapt policy CR3 to delete reference to Primary Shopping Frontages.

Provide criteria for development in Primary Shopping Areas (PSA), and District/ Local Centres.

Maintaining or providing an active ground floor use/ frontage within Primary Shopping Areas. Not fragment any part of the Primary Shopping Area by creating a significant break in the active frontage.

In the case of District and Local Centres, ensuring that the overall function of the centre in providing day to day needs is not undermined, and retains active ground floor uses and generates footfall to the centre.

Advantages of Option A

• Maintaining and enhancing the retail function of centres is important in enabling residents and visitors to meet their shopping needs in the most sustainable way, in the most accessible locations.
• Encouraging the use of upper floors for offices, residential and other use via mixed uses, will make best use of land, capitalising on the availability of services within walking distance, and accessibility by public transport. Encouraging the use of upper floors for offices, residential and other use via mixed uses, will make best use of land, capitalising on the availability of services within walking distance, and accessibility by public transport.

Disadvantages of Option A

• None identified.