Policy E8
Local centres
- The council will protect the continue function of the designated shopping parades in the Local Centres and Neighbourhood Parades. It is proposing to incorporate the current Satellite Parades into Neighbourhood Parades as part of the new Local Plan review. This is their function is essentially identical now that the council cannot control the range of uses or changes of use to the same extent because of the new use class E and extended permitted development rights.
- The council will seek to ensure these parades continue to provide accessible shopping and service facilities to meet local needs (see Policies Map and Appendix 2). In these centres, changes of use which require planning permission will be permitted subject to the proposed use being shown to be complementary to the function of the centre, enhancing the centre's viability and vitality and having no adverse impact on the local area.
- Where the premises have been vacant with evidence of a robust marketing exercise as set out in Annex 5, the council may consider granting permission taking into account other factors such as:
a) the nature and characteristics of the proposed use and evidence of need.
b) the location of the unit within the centre; and
c) the shop front appearance.
- Planning permission will not be granted for any changes of use of ground floor frontages to residential use, or other use which does not allow public access and/or provide and active frontages such as a school or office. Residential use may be appropriate in principle above and /or at the rear of premises where:
a) this can be designed to provide a high level of residential amenity without compromising the existing or potential operation of uses on the ground floor.
b) subject to satisfactory evidence that neither shopping policy nor the long-term viability of the retail unit will be prejudiced; and
c) the proposal would comply with other policies in the Local Plan.
- Where planning permission is required, planning conditions may be used to secure Class E(a) uses which contribute to the retail function of the Local Centre. Where retail development is conditioned for that use, development proposals seeking a change to another appropriate main town centre use, including full flexibility for Class E commercial, business and service uses will normally be resisted unless it can be demonstrated there is no reasonable prospect of the unit being used for continued retail use. This must be evidenced by a robust and recent marketing exercise as set out in Appendix 5.
6.66 Since the last local plan was published the government has simplified the classification of town centres uses (formerly Class A1, A2, A3, B1 and parts of D2) into a new Class E. The aim was to allow greater flexibility by allowing changes of use within this use without the need for planning permission. This can help diversification and fill vacant shops. This change does mean that current policy approach to setting out quotas/proportions of a particular use cannot be taken forward into the new Local Plan, and as changes of use between uses within Class E of the Use Classes Order do not require planning permission, the ability of the council to apply this policy will be limited.
Changes of use
6.67 Class E, such as community uses and evening economy uses may also provide enhanced amenities for the local community, and changes to these uses may be supported in principle, at a scale appropriate to its location and position in the shopping hierarchy. Whilst a flexible approach can help high streets recover from the pandemic and respond to online trading competition for example, unforeseen negative outcomes could include loss of local shopping uses, or an over-concentration of uses such as food, drink and other evening uses which could lead to noise and disturbance to local residents and closed up units during the day. Therefore, in circumstances where planning permission is required the council may impose conditions to restrict further changes of use in the future.
