Policy information sourced from Brentwood Local Plan
PC05: Brentwood Town Centre
The Council will require development to conserve the positive qualities of Brentwood Town Centre while enhancing and improving negative aspects of function and appearance where relevant. Development in the Town Centre should contribute to the Council’s aim of improving the capacity and quality of the public realm throughout Brentwood Town Centre, contribute to a vibrant High Street and the surrounding Conservation Area in line with the Town Centre Design Guide SPD.
Shopfronts and signage have significant impacts on its surroundings therefore proposals are required to incorporate high quality, attractive shopfronts that enhance the street scene, in line with the Council’s adopted Town Centre Shopfront Guidance SPD.
Chapel Ruins, Baytree Centre and South Street areas: This area provides a link to strategic sites on the High Street therefore improving its permeability and integration into the wider public realm network will create a more welcoming and flexible space at the heart of the Town Centre, enable its historical settings to be celebrated. Proposals should:
- contribute to the enhancement of public realm around Chapel Ruins and the Conservation Area, retain and enhance their significance and character;
- complement the retail function and maintain or add to the vitality, viability and diversity of the Town Centre, by means such as mixed-use schemes that include retail, leisure and residential;
- facilitate safe and pleasant pedestrian movement through improved alleyways, lighting, wayfinding and landscaping; and
- assist in uplifting and transforming the Baytree Centre and integrate it with the other parts of the Town Centre.
William Hunter Way, Chatham Way Car Park and Crown Street: The Council will work with developers and partners to improve the public realm links in these areas, and through the redevelopment of the car parks, create a mixed-use scheme to provide new residential, retail, flexible working space and commercial floorspace. Proposals in these areas should:
- contribute to the improvements to frontages and public realm through landscaping and redevelopment;
- provide additional shopfronts and double fronted shops, if development involves the rear of premises on the north side of the High Street; and
- facilitate safe and pleasant pedestrian movement through improved alleyways lighting, wayfinding and landscaping.
Linkages to Brentwood station: Improvements to the rail service to London will increase Brentwood Town Centre’s regional public transport accessibility. The Council will seek to enhance public realm and way finding around Brentwood station, foster a stronger sense of place and sense of arrival, improve the linkages from the Town Centre to the station, with Kings Road being the primary focus. Proposals should:
- contribute to the enhancement of public realm around Brentwood station, Kings Road and Kings Road junction through design, landscaping and redevelopment;
- facilitate safe and convenient traffic movement with priority given to passenger transport, pedestrians and cyclists, by means such as improved junctions, cycle paths, lighting and wayfinding; and
- add to the vitality and vibrancy of the Town Centre by providing an appropriate mix and balance of uses including residential, employment, commercial and amenity spaces.
For more information please see the Local Plan