Infrastructure Delivery Plan (Feb 2013) - Runnymede Borough Council

foodstore at the end of Station Parade and the redevelopment of the Bourne Car Park
is also envisaged.
14.15 Strategic Policy 05 (Design) is also considered to be relevant for any new retail
schemes as well as SP09 which promotes sustainable transport in the Borough.
Future provision
14.16 The Runnymede Retail Study (2009) found that even before the current economic
difficulties, recent trends in expenditure growth were not expected to continue as a
result of the combination of high levels of consumer debt, an already low savings ratio
and a weakening housing market. Economic forecasts suggest that comparison goods
expenditure growth will be about 4% per annum over the next 5-10 years. Whilst the
current recession may depress this growth rate in the short term, 4% growth is roughly
in line with the long term trend (3.9% since 1969).
14.17 As part of the Runnymede Retail Study (2009), a broad assessment of future
floorspace need in Runnymede was also carried out. It was found however that as is
often the case with smaller centres, maintaining and enhancing their vitality and viability
is more than a matter of simply providing more floorspace. The quality of the existing
and required space is of paramount importance as is the degree to which the key
attractors support the rest of the town centre.
14.18 The following key recommendations were made as part of the Runnymede Retail Study
(2009):
• The objective of policy should be to maintain and enhance the vitality and
viability of the town centres, not necessarily to provide every kind of shopping
in every centre. In particular, it was considered most realistic to accept the
role of the centres in the Borough as providers of convenience goods
shopping and services and to seek to derive the maximum benefit from these
uses for the rest of the town centre.
• Centres need to be managed in such a way to ensure that the main drivers of
footfall are properly integrated into the centre so that they support the rest of
the retail and service offer.
• Looking further ahead, it was recommended in the retail study that another
assessment of Virginia Water’s role, in terms of its retail offering, health and
performance should be undertaken after significant residential development
has taken place on the nearby DERA site.
14.19 When considering specific additional retail provision which is likely to come forward in
the Borough over the plan period, the most noteworthy retail scheme which has been
permitted in recent years is at Arndale Way, Church Road in Egham where permission
was granted in 2009 under RU.09/0033 for the erection of a 3 storey building
comprising of a Class A1 foodstore on the ground floor (with associated back of house
facilities and separate service delivery access), together with an 80 bed hotel on the
first and second floors; all served by a ramped basement car park; creation of a new
pedestrian link to the High Street with Public Square and relocation of bus stops onto
Church Road. The supermarket is known to be Waitrose and the hotel, a Travelodge.
Works have recently commenced, with a completion being aimed for in Spring 2014.
The foodstore will have a floor area of some 2926sqm.
14.20 In addition, a planning application has been submitted under RU.12/0725 at Hannover
House, Station Parade, Virginia Water for a change of use and extension to the existing
building to provide an A1 foodstore with a floor area of 836sqm (this figure excludes the
ancillary retail operational accommodation at first and second floors). This application
remains undetermined at the time of writing this report.
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Runnymede IDP DRAFT – February 2013