Carlisle District Local Plan.indd - Carlisle City Council

Carlisle District Local Plan 2001 - 2016 Revised Redeposit draftwell connected to a centre where it is physically separated from it by a barrier such as amajor road, railway line or river and there is no existing or proposed pedestrian route whichprovides safe and convenient access to the centre.4.17 The policy recognises the importance of shopping to Carlisle, confirms it as a major CityCentre activity and encourages appropriate development. The concentration of shoppingdevelopment in the City Centre, particularly for comparison goods shopping, will helpto provide a full-range of shops helping to maintain the City Centre and Carlisle’s subregionalposition.4.18 The majority of the Primary Retail Area lies within the City Centre Conservation Area.Conservation area status reflects the quality of the built environment and it is this quality thathelps to make the City Centre such an attractive area to be in. The need to ensure that anyredevelopment schemes respect the quality of the area presents potential developers with animportant challenge.4.19 Within the City Centre Conservation Area there is little scope for major retail development.The conservation area contains all the major stores, with the exception of those in TheLanes and there are few opportunities for redevelopment schemes. Some potential may existfor refurbishment and limited redevelopment of the area centred on Blackfriars Street andTesco. Scope may also exist for small schemes such as Carlyle’s Court and the Market Hallwhich have been completed over the past few years. All these schemes complement thecharacter of the conservation area and similar schemes will be acceptable.4.20 These new development schemes, which all have high standards of detail and finish,illustrate how new development and enhancement schemes can improve the appearanceof an area. Increased prosperity will encourage the continuous maintenance of buildingshelping to create an attractive environment for both the people of Carlisle and visitors.4.21 Although shopping development is encouraged in the Primary Retail Area, shoppingproposals will be subject to highway and conservation considerations. Proposals leadingto an unacceptable increase in traffic are contrary to advice contained in PPG 13 andproposals for traffic reduction within the City Centre. The provision of additional carparking as part of development schemes is unlikely to be required within this area. As analternative to parking provision, commuted payments may be required depending upon thescale and location of the proposed development. Improvements to the environment, accessand servicing will be implemented as opportunities arise, particularly when consideringredevelopment proposals.POLICY EC5 Large Stores and Retail WarehousesOther than sites allocated within this Plan, proposals will not be permitted for largestores and retail warehouses with large adjacent customer car parks, unless aqualitative and quantative need can be demonstrated. Where need is proven andthere is an essential requirement to transfer bulky customer loads from store to car,development may be permitted where sites:1. are able to satisfy a sequential test and are widely accessible by public transport;and2. are of a scale which will not seriously affect the viability, vitality or regeneration ofthe City Centre; andEC552 September 2006