Agenda item

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the council’s latest Retail and Town Centre Study was completed in 2013 and an updated study, found at appendices A and B of the report, had been prepared to provide the latest retail and town centre needs position in the district, and support the preparation of the new local plan.

Members were advised that the study also provides an evidence base to support future development management decisions. There had been many changes that have occurred nationally that have impacted retail and town centres since 2013.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the study identifies the latest changes to the retail market, forecast and future retail and leisure needs for the district, assesses and recommends changes to the existing retail polices where appropriate and assesses the health of the 5 town centres within the district.

The Panel was advised that the study provided a baseline that would help to inform future town centre strategies. The study was supported by various data sets including forecasting and population information and occupancy information. Research had also been undertaken including stakeholder engagement and also business and household surveys.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the study had forecasted the needs of the convenience floorspace and comparison floor space. She said that in both scenarios, there was no quantitative need to plan or allocate new sites for new convenience or comparison goods floor space within the plan period.

The Panel was advised that whilst there was scope for improvements in the district in terms of commercial leisure needs, there was no need to specifically allocate sites for new leisure facilities, and a more flexible approach was recommended to allow for these uses within town centres.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the study assessed the role of Madford Retail Park and concluded that, while it made a modest contribution to comparison retail provision overall, it played a more significant role in terms of market share for DIY and garden retail needs. It was recommended that any future redevelopment proposals at Madford Retail Park should be required to justify the loss of existing retail uses and any proposed future mix of uses.

Members were advised that the study also reviewed the existing retail hierarchy, the sequential and impact tests and provides recommendations for future policy changes. The study recommends changes to the town centre boundaries and primary shopping areas based on where the town centre or non-town centre uses are located.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer advised that the study reviewed each of the town centres and creates a health check for each place and a SWOT assessment based upon strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The health checks focus on accessibility, the environment and public realm, mix of uses, vacancies, frequency of visits, trading prospects and consumer views and behaviours.

Members were advised that the towns in the district were found to be in good or relatively good health. There were however a number of ways in which vitality and viability could be improved for each centre. Following this piece of work, there would be town centre strategies that would build on the work of the retail and town centre study.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that aims and objectives would be created for each of the towns and propose a way forward to enhance the vitality and viability of each of the towns. It was recommended that the study be endorsed as part of the evidence base for the emerging East Herts Local Plan and as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.

Members welcomed the interesting report and commented on one finding of the study in that people were looking for a mix of leisure, shopping and food all in one place. A concern was raised that, in most of the towns, there was a very high percentage of businesses that thought that improved free short/long-term parking would be a good idea and would make more customers come to shops and increase footfall.

The Panel had noted that the above view had not been replicated when customers were asked. The Chair commented on the percentages of businesses in Hertford and Ware that thought that there should be more short and long-term free parking in comparison with the much lower percentages of customers that had reached the same view.

The Chair said that the recommendation made by the consultants had been based upon the business percentage view and not what the customers had thought in terms of what would make them want to go shopping more.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the study was more to present the findings, and it would be down to the strategies to make recommendations for particular places. She said that future town centre strategies would consider the range of views expressed by stakeholders, business and customers. The Chair suggested having coloured charts that represented the views of customers, in the same way that had been done for the views of business.

Members commented on the importance of leisure uses, independent businesses, active travel infrastructure and public realm improvements in supporting town centre vitality. Questions were raised regarding the residents’ survey result that showed a suggested improvement in multi-screen art house cinema.

Officers explained that the strategy could link back to some of the points made by Members. The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the strategy could make specific broader recommendations such as improvements that could be made to the public realm, and this could be linked back to healthy streets.

A member not on the panel made a reference to a need for more secure e-bike parking and active travel transport parking. Comments were also made regarding data being included in the evidence base in respect of dwell times in towns and pedestrianisation helping people to spend more money and time in town centres.

Members asked for some more information on sequencing and how developments were allowed to come forward. The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the report had picked up that if places were nicer to be in then people would want to stay there for a bit longer.

The Chair said that there were links to various studies on this topic. She also said that in most towns in East Herts there were medieval townscapes, and this made pedestrianisation a challenge in terms of avoiding cutting off residents from accessing High Streets.

Members discussed perceptions and how these mattered. There were a few comments about the make-up of town centres and the need for proactive methodologies to help other people come into town centres. A comment was made about introducing e-bikes parking for Ware and also in changing town centre boundaries to include the Baldock Street car-park.

Officers advised that these matters had been considered within the evidence base, and all of these points would help inform future policy development and town centre strategies. The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that in terms of the town centre boundary changes, these were based on what was in place at this time and the town centre uses.

Members were advised that the sequential test was included in the NPPF, and it said that town centre uses in the town centre boundary would be considered in advance of looking at sites elsewhere in terms of a hierarchy. There was a threshold for impact tests on sites outside of the boundary.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the town centre and retail study and the subsequent strategy were town centre based and if there were proposed changes to junctions this would come forward in a transport study at a later date.

Members commented that all of the villages and market town centres were all in their own way unique and could not be treated as a whole in the new local plan. A comment was also made about the fluidity of the shopping situation on offer to customers in the town centres. The Chair said that the discussions around industrial and employment zones and the location of town centre type uses were dealt with within the employment studies and the matter of out-of-town shopping was more about policy rather than the evidence base for retail and town centre studies.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the study had looked at stores, and there was wording in the methodology about this had been forecasted. Members were advised that Experian data had been used, and this had been referred to as special forms of trading This was expected to increase as more people shopped online.

Members were advised that the evidence base had picked out a desire from people for more independent retailers. The retail strategies could look at how to make them more attractive and having a range of store sizes to attract independent retailers.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that study had made recommendations in respect of impact tests for sequential test purposes. She referred to the higher impact tests within the existing policies and a recommendation in the study suggesting that the impact test be reduced to 280 square metres net sales space from the present 350 square metres gross.

Members were reminded that the smaller sized stores of that size were exempt from Sunday trading rules and if this threshold was used, this served a local need and anything above that would draw a larger audience and encourage people away from town centres.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer said that the study had drawn on the text from the NPPF in terms of local centre definitions and the retail hierarchy of neighbourhood significance.

Councillor Dumont proposed, and Councillor Crystall seconded, a motion that that the Executive be advised that (A) the Retail and Town Centres Study and appendices be agreed as part of the evidence base to inform the new East Herts Local Plan and as a material consideration for Development Management purposes in the determination of planning applications and (B) any minor amendments to the content of the Retail and Town Centres Study be delegated to the Director for Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Growth.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED - that the Executive be advised that (A) the Retail and Town Centres Study and appendices (attached at Appendices A and B) be agreed as part of the evidence base to inform the new East Herts Local Plan and as a material consideration for Development Management purposes in the determination of planning applications; and

(B)   any minor amendments to the content of the Retail and Town Centres Study be delegated to the Director for Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning and Growth.

At 20:32 (8:32 pm), Councillor Glover-Ward proposed, and Councillor Crystall seconded, a motion for a 5-minute adjournment for a comfort break. After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED - the meeting be adjourned for a 5-minute comfort break.