Assessment of Planning and Retail Issues - Renfrewshire Council

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PROPOSED EXTENSIONS AT 12 ASSESSMENT OF PLANNING AND RETAIL ISSUES BRAEHEAD RETAIL PARK MAY 2010 policies. 2.37 Policy R13 relates to the retail warehouse parks in the plan areas, and states that there will be a presumption against proposals for additional floorspace beyond the level specified in current consents for these areas. Because the policy pre-dates the Fourth Alteration to the Structure Plan, it does not take account of the fact that the retail warehouse parks are now Commercial Centres. It also does not take account of the advice in the SPP that investment to maintain and improve Commercial Centres should be supported where the centres are part of the network of centres and where such investment will not undermine town centres. This advice in the SPP makes clear that it is no longer appropriate to impose blanket presumptions against additional development in Commercial Centres. 2.38 Policy R16 refers specifically to the Braehead Regional Shopping and Leisure Centre and confirms that the centre is allocated for the uses specified in the planning permissions for the centre. It also states that “Proposals for additional development in the specified categories will be supported where they satisfy the provisions of structure plan policy, and the criteria in Table R1" (these criteria listed in Table R1 relate to the sequential approach, capacity and impact issues, traffic and sustainable transport, amenity, design, environmental impact and infrastructure provision). Assessment of the Proposals Against Policy 2.39 The proposals will be in accordance with the support given by the Local Plan to maintaining the Regional Centre at Braehead, which is now endorsed by the Structure Plan’s recognition of Braehead as a Commercial Centre and, in Schedule 6(c)(I)(c), the importance of protecting Braehead from new out-of-centre developments. Although the local plan distinguishes between the main Braehead Centre and the retail park, and has different policies for each element, the designation of both parts of Braehead’s retail offer as Commercial Centres removes any remaining justification for treating the two elements separately. Thus it is appropriate to consider the relevance of both policies R13 and R16 to the current proposal, as well as Policies R1 and R2. Policy R1 2.40 Dealing firstly with Policy R1, which directs town centre uses to the strategic and secondary centres, these proposals require to be assessed against the criteria set
PROPOSED EXTENSIONS AT 13 ASSESSMENT OF PLANNING AND RETAIL ISSUES BRAEHEAD RETAIL PARK MAY 2010 out in Table R1 in the Local Plan. 2.41 The first criterion listed in Table R1 relates to the sequential approach, and this issue has already been fully addressed. The second and third criteria refer to whether the proposal can be supported by the catchment population and the likely impact of the proposal on other centres, and these matters are addressed in the next section of the report. We have also discussed the fourth criterion relating to the need to achieve sustainable transport, and the fifth criterion relating to adequacy of arrangements for traffic circulation and parking is being addressed in the transport assessment. There are no implications for the amenity of any nearby properties, so the sixth criterion is satisfied, and the quality of design has been addressed in the first section of this report, thus addressing the seventh criterion. 2.42 There are no particular environmental effects associated with the proposal which require special consideration, beyond the discussions already presented, and all implications for infrastructure are addressed in the reports on drainage and transport, thus satisfying the eighth and ninth criteria. 2.43 It is important to note that Policy R1 requires the tests in Table R1 to be applied to all proposals for town centre uses, regardless of their proposed location. In this case the tests laid down in the table are all satisfied by the current proposals. Policy R2 2.44 Turning to Policy R2, this indicates that significant shopping developments of more than 2,000 square metres comparison floorspace should be directed to the strategic town centres and that such proposals will be tested against relevant Structure Plan policies. As has been noted, the two applications to which this statement relates are each proposing developments of less than 2,000 square metres, but it is appropriate to consider the implications of Policy R2 given that the proposals in combination amount to more than 2,000 square metres. A full analysis of all the relevant Structure Plan policies has already been carried out, and the proposals have been shown to comply with Strategic Policy 9, which means that they also comply with the tests imposed by Policy R2. Policy R13 2.45 It has been noted earlier that the presumption in the Policy R13 against additional floorspace at the retail park does not accord with the advice contained in the SPP
Page 1 and 2: Proposed Extensions at Braehead Ret
Page 3 and 4: 1 INTRODUCTION The Proposals 1.1 Br
Page 5 and 6: PROPOSED EXTENSIONS AT 3 ASSESSMENT
Page 13: PROPOSED EXTENSIONS AT 11 ASSESSMEN
Page 17 and 18: PROPOSED EXTENSIONS AT 15 ASSESSMEN
Page 35 and 36: Table 1 Population Estimates - Brae
Page 37 and 38: Table 3 Comparison Expenditure Esti
Page 39 and 40: Table 5 Shopping Patterns in Main C
Page 45 and 46: Table 11 Changes to Glasgow City Ce
Page 47 and 48: Table 13 Estimated Total Turnover a
Page 53 and 54: Table 19 Potential Turnover - B&Q S
Page 57: Table 23 Estimated Turnover of Addi

Assessment of Planning and Retail Issues - Renfrewshire Council

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