Policy information sourced from Brentwood Local Plan
PC04: Retail Hierarchy of Designated Centres
The retail hierarchy and Designated Centres
The Council will promote the continued roles and functions of the Designated Centres to positively contribute towards their viability, vitality, character and structure. The following centres and their associated Primary Shopping Area, as shown on the Brentwood Policies Map, are designated for retail, leisure and other main town centres uses
| Designated Centres | Primary Shopping Area |
|---|---|
| Brentwood Town Centre | Brentwood High Street |
Town Centre: The principal market town of Brentwood Borough that provides a wide range of social, cultural and economic facilities and services for local residents as well as visitors. The Town Centre must have good access to major roads and public transport links and benefits from a high quality retail environment.
| Designated Centres | Primary Shopping Area |
|---|---|
| Shenfield Hutton Road | Hutton Road |
| Warley Hill | n/a |
| Ingatestone High Street | Ingatestone High Street |
| The main service centre of Dunton Hills Garden Village (DHGV) | to be considered by the future Local Plan review |
District Shopping Centres: Groups of shops often containing at least one supermarket or superstore, and a range of non-retail services, such as banks, building societies, and restaurants, as well as local public facilities such as a library.
| West Horndon Village Centre | n/a |
|---|---|
| Blackmore Village Centre | |
| 245-267 Ongar Road | |
| Brook Street Post Office | |
| Church Lane | |
| Doddinghurst Post Office, Doddinghurst Road | |
| Herongate Post Office, Brentwood Road | |
| 1-23 Eastham Crescent | |
| 200-216 Rayleigh Road | |
| 60-74 Woodland Avenue | |
| Hanging Hill Lane Post Office, Hanging Hill Lane | |
| Blackmore Road | |
| Kelvedon Common Post Office, Church Road | |
| Danes Way/Hatch Road | |
| 2-8 Harewood Road | |
| 245-267 Ongar Road | |
| Stondon Post Office, Ongar Road | |
| The Keys, Eagle Way | |
| The two neighbourhood hubs at Dunton Hills Garden village |
Local Centres: A range of small shops of a local nature, serving a small catchment. Typically, Local Centres might include, amongst others, shops, a small supermarket, a newsagent, a subpost office and a pharmacy. Other facilities could include a hot food takeaway and a laundrette.
The retail hierarchy of Designated Centres in Brentwood Borough is as follows:
- Brentwood Town Centre should be the first choice for retail, leisure and main town centre uses.
- District Shopping Centres will be a focus of more localised retail, commercial, flexible work space, community facilities and services that reduce the need to travel and contribute towards more sustainable and neighbourhood-scale living.
- Local Centres include small shops of a local nature, serving a small catchment. They have an important role in providing day to day shops and services that are accessible to residents in villages and rural parts of Brentwood, especially in areas more remote from the larger centres.
The sequential approach and impact assessment
Retail, leisure, office and other main town centre uses will continue to be directed to these centres in line with the sequential approach to retail development locations set out in the NPPF.
Development should contribute positively to the attractiveness, vitality, safety, environmental quality, historic character, employment opportunities and social inclusiveness of these centres.
Change of use of upper floors above commercial premises to working space and/or residential will be encouraged provided that reasonable facilities and amenities are provided for, that development does not result in in the loss of ancillary storage space or other beneficial use to the extent that it would make a ground floor unit unviable, and that the development would not prevent off street servicing of any ground floor unit.
Any retail and leisure developments proposed outside these centres must be subject to a retail impact assessment, where the proposed gross floorspace is greater than 2,500 sqm. A retail impact assessment may be required below this threshold where a proposal could have a cumulative impact or an impact on the role or vitality of nearby centres within the catchment of the proposal.
For more information please see the Local Plan