Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4) Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth highlights the importance of Local Planning Authorities preparing and maintaining a robust evidence base to be able to plan positively for town centre uses, including retail. The evidence base should consider and provide guidance on:
- The detailed need for land or floorspace for main town centre uses.
- Any deficiencies in the provision of local convenience shopping and other facilities which serve peoples day to day needs.
- The capacity of existing centres to accommodate new town centre development.
- A resilient network and hierarchy of centres in the borough that can meet the needs of their catchments.
- The health of key centres, including Basingstoke Town Centre, Brighton Hill, Chineham, Overton, Tadley and Whitchurch.
The Retail Assessment has been used to develop the appropriate town centre/retail approach in the Core Strategy and has assisted in understanding shopping patterns and behaviours. The information obtained from the assessment has also been used to inform other corporate projects, such as the 'Vision' for Central Basingstoke and The Malls scheme.
The Retail Assessment and accompanying Appendices are available to download below.
It should be noted that, since the publication of the Retail Assessment in January 2009, the borough council has undertaken to update this in the light of the economic climate and changes in the forecasting information that support the Retail Assessment. A copy of the updated Retail Assessment from July 2009 is available to download below. It is proposed to undertake a further update of the Retail Assessment during 2012, details of which will be published in due course.
Please contact the LDF Team on 01256 845796 or email LDF@basingstoke.gov.uk if you have any queries.
