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17 Town centres
17 Town centres
National policy
17.1 The NPPF requires planning policies to support the role that town centres play at the heart of local communities. Local Plan polices should define a network and hierarchy of town centres to promote their long-term vitality and viability and define the extent of town centres and primary shopping areas and the range of uses permitted in those locations.
17.2 Local authorities should allocate a range of sites in town centres to meet the scale and type of development needed for at least ten years ahead. Meeting anticipated needs for retail, leisure, office and other main town centre uses should not be compromised by limited site availability, therefore town centre boundaries should be kept under review and amended if necessary. Where suitable sites are not available, allocate edge of centre sites, and recognise the role and encourage residential development in town centres.
17.3 The NPPF sets out the approach to the sequential test so town centres locations are prioritised and that an impact assessment can be required for development outside town centres. The sequential approach should not be applied to small scale rural offices or other small-scale development. Local plans can set a local threshold for application of the impact test. National Planning Policy Guidance is expected to define the extent of primary shopping areas and authorities may wish to define primary and secondary retail frontages.
17.4 In 2020 new Use Class E was introduced, that combined most main town centre uses into one class, allowing flexibility and changes without the need for planning permission. The changes to use classes provided for three new uses classes: Class E (Commercial, business and service), Class F.1 (Learning and non-residential institutions) and F.2 (Local community). The changes combine Shops (A1), financial/professional services (A2), cafés/restaurants (A3), indoor sports/fitness (D2 part), medical health facilities (D1 part), creche/nurseries and office/business uses (B1) will be subsumed into a new single Use Class E.
17.5 In 2021 a new permitted development right was introduced (Class MA) that allows change of use from commercial, business and service use (Class E) to residential without the need for planning permission. The impact of the changes mean it is harder for local plans to plan and shape town centre development and there is currently a tension with national planning guidance and reality of control policies would have.
Evidence base
- Cheshire West and Chester Retail Study 2025 (in preparation)
- Local Plan Annual Monitoring Reports
- Local retail centres surveys
Key issues
- Online shopping, working from home, and out of centre town centre development potentially harming vitality and viability of centres by reducing footfall and diverting trips to locations primarily accessed by car.
- Inconsistencies between national policy, new use class references and adopted Local Plan policy.
- The impact of recent changes to use classes and permitted development making it harder to try and retain core retail uses in town centres.
- Understanding the future need for retail floorspace.
Current adopted policy
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Local Plan |
Policy reference |
Policy summary |
|---|---|---|
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Identifies the sub-regional, strategic and town centre hierarchy, and key proposals for the borough’s town centres such as Northgate and Barons Quay.
Sets out local impact test thresholds. |
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Sets criteria for new or extensions to existing farm shops including range of goods to be sold. |
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Local Plan (Part Two) |
Sets out the development that should be happening in town centres, including appropriate boundaries. Policy seeks to protect retail / shops (old A1 use class) and retain active frontages. |
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Local Plan (Part Two) |
Identifies the district and local centres and set out range of uses permitted. |
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Local Plan (Part Two)E |
Design of shopfronts. |
Suggested policy approach
17.6 The policy approach will be to support vibrant town centres including supporting retail, leisure, tourism, cultural, and employment uses including supporting the evening economy. The Retail Study (in preparation) will identify the need for future retail and leisure floorspace including for food and non-food retail. The study will also undertake a ‘health check’ of the main town centres and make recommendations as to future policy approaches. The new Local Plan will need to reflect this evidence base.
17.7 The policy will identify a hierarchy of town centres and support a town centre first approach to development where possible. Previous consultation responses have raised whether Cheshire Oaks/Coliseum Shopping Park in Ellesmere Port should be identified as a town centre. However, it is still considered that these areas have the character and role of out of centre retail parks and designation would potentially harm Ellesmere Port town centre. The overall policy approach will still be to ensure the sequential approach is applied and that a locally defined impact assessment threshold is retained.
17.8 The changes nationally to allowing various uses to change without requiring planning permission means it is unclear how some of the existing policies can operate and enable effective town centre planning. The approach will be to support uses that bring interest and visitors to key town centres and retain active frontages where possible. For smaller local centres to encourage a diversity of uses to ensure these areas continue to meet local community needs.
17.9 The intention is that Local Plan (Part One) policy ECON 2 will be updated to reflect the above approach and any recommendations from the Retail Study. Local Plan (Part Two) policies DM 7, DM 14 and DM 15 would be replaced and included in the expanded Local Plan (Part One) policy ECON 2.
17.10 The new policy will include a local approach to town centre developments in the rural area that do not require application of the sequential approach. The policy will set out that this will relate to developments outside of identified settlements and therefore within the countryside and will be under 200 sqm (square metres) external floor area. This threshold is based on the potential for developments over 200 sqm to impact on local centres including village centres.
TC 1
Town centres
Retain approach to town centre hierarchy and town centre first
Proposals for retail, leisure and other main town centre uses should be located within a town centre, unless demonstrated that no sites are suitable and available through a sequential test. Development should be of an appropriate scale that reflects the size and role of each centre and should not have an unacceptable impact on other centres.
Maintaining healthy town centres
- Commercial uses with an active frontage should be retained (including shop windows) on street and in Chester at Row level.
- Non-commercial uses that support the town centre, such as residential should not lead to the loss of active frontages and should therefore be located on upper floors or the rear of the buildings.
- Diversity in goods and services should be provided with no dominance of one type of Main Town Centre Use (excluding shops). Health and community facilities and other uses that promote vibrant and diverse centres will be supported.
Applications that involve the loss of a retail and other uses from a town centre will need to demonstrate the unit has been vacant continuously for 12 months, adequately marketed and does not harm the criteria above.
Shops, commercial and community uses in District and Local Retail Centres should be retained and allowed to help meet a local community’s day-to-day needs. Development of main town centre uses must be consistent with the scale and function of the Local Retail Centre (including village centres) and not undermine the vitality and viability of a centre higher in the hierarchy.
Proposals that positively contribute towards creating attractive, vibrant and safe centres that offer a diverse mix of uses that can also extend the time when centres are active will be supported, especially cultural, civic and family activities.
Alfresco dining/outdoor seating will be supported (subject to other policy requirements) where this would be located directly in front of a café, restaurant or drinking establishment.
Considerations should be made to neighbouring uses, ensuring their compatibility and new residential development must not prejudice the operation of other town centre uses such as nightclubs and live venues.
Sequential test
The policy will set out the approach to the sequential test to ensure town centre locations are used first and then edge of centre locations. In terms of edge and out-of-centre proposals, preference will be given to accessible sites that are well connected to the town centre. Flexibility should be made in terms of size and format.
Where there are no sequentially
preferable sites available, existing land and buildings with planning
permission for main town centre uses that fall within the catchment area of
any new proposal should be considered in the first instance.
Impact assessment
Planning applications for main town centre uses outside of existing centres will require an impact assessment according to the following thresholds (gross external floorspace):
- Chester and Northwich greater than 1,000 sqm
- Ellesmere Port, Winsford, Frodsham and Neston greater than 500 sqm
- Local Centres, greater than 200 sqm
While small-scale rural developments outside of identified settlements will not be subject to the sequential test (above), they must demonstrate a requirement for a countryside location, be in connection with the land-based business, would not undermine the vitality and viability of local shops or retail centres, and be less than 200 sqm gross external floorspace.
Question TC 1
Do you agree with the suggested policy approach towards town centres, as set out above in TC 1 ‘Town centres’? If not, please suggest how it could be amended?
Question TC 2
Do you agree with requiring consideration of previously developed sites within the catchment of the proposal, or available and suitable sites that have a main town centre use permission, as part of the sequential test?
Question TC 3
Do you agree with retaining the centre hierarchy?
Question TC 4
Do you agree with our suggested approach to small scale rural development?