Policy information sourced from the Elmbridge Core Strategy

CS18- Town Centre Uses

Town and village centres will continue to serve a distinctive multi-functional role, in keeping with the hierarchy defined in Policy CS1-Spatial Strategy, responding to the variety of needs of local residents and businesses. All town centre uses(37) will be considered within the context of their contribution to the vitality and viability of the centre and their impact on and ability to serve local needs, as set out in the place policies relating to individual settlements.

  • In order to control an appropriate balance of uses within town and district centres:
    • A1 retail uses will be protected and concentrated within primary shopping frontages.
    • Secondary shopping frontages will offer greater opportunities for a diversity of town centre uses that offer a direct service to the public and require a street level presence, as long as the use does not have significant harmful effects on the frontage or town centre role.

Primary and secondary frontages are defined on the proposals map.

  • Higher density mixed-use schemes will be promoted in town and district centres where they are compatible with the local environment and function of the centre within the overall hierarchy. Residential or office development will be expected to be provided above ground floor level in order to provide a diversity of uses, and to make the best use of sites within sustainable locations. New uses should contribute to sustaining a high quality, inclusive and safe environment, in order to improve and/or enhance the quality of the area and the way it functions both in terms of the daytime and nighttime economies.
  • Local centres will retain retail uses wherever viable, in order to provide an appropriate level of services to meet the needs of the local community. Changes of use to other town centre uses will be permitted, as long as the change is not considered harmful to the centre as a whole.
  • Town centre uses located outside of defined town and village centres will be protected where they meet the needs of the local population in conjunction with defined centres, and expanded where local deficiencies are identified.

For more information please see the Elmbridge Core Strategy