Policy information sourced from the Hounslow Local Plan Part 1

TC3 - MANAGING THE GROWTH OF RETAIL AND OTHER MAIN TOWN CENTRE USES

Our approach

We will support the council’s regeneration objectives by directing the growth of retail uses to the borough’s town centres, making the most of their accessibility and maximising the opportunity for business opportunities and linked trips. Other town centre uses will also be directed to these locations, with Hounslow and Brentford being the focus of this growth in the short to medium term, based on the identified needs of these centres.

We will achieve this by

  • Directing proposals for retail floorspace and other main town centre uses (as defined in the NPPF) to the borough’s four town centres, and considering proposals in other locations based on sequential and impact assessments;
  • Directing large scale retail development to primary shopping areas or other allocated sites within town centres;
  • Requiring impact assessments where development of over 500sqm of retail or 2,500sqm of other main town centre use floorspace is proposed outside of the borough’s four town centres;
  • Allocating sites to meet the borough’s retail needs; and
  • Supporting small scale retail development in identified neighbourhood centres.

We will expect development proposals to

  • Seek to locate in one of the borough’s four town centres where retail floorspace or other main town centre uses are proposed;
  • Where development is proposed outside of town centres, proposals should demonstrate through a sequential assessment that suitable locations within town centres are not available; followed by edge-of-town centre sites and large neighbourhood centres; with small neighbourhood centres then considered for smaller proposals that are suitable to the proportions of the centre. Only then should out-of-centre sites be considered, and these should be accessible and well connected to town centres;
  • Demonstrate that the effect of the proposal, either individually or cumulatively, on the vitality and viability of existing town centres has been considered, through the preparation of an impact assessment where development of over 500sqm of retail or 2,500 sqm of other main town centre use floorspace is proposed outside of the borough’s four town centres;
  • Demonstrate that units are accessible to people with impaired mobility and pushchairs, consistent with the Mayor of London’s Accessible London: Achieving an Inclusive Environment SPG; and
  • Demonstrate that local context and character have been considered in terms of the design of shop fronts and the wider appearance of development.

Supporting facts

Retail need

  • The Retail Needs Study Update (2013) outlines the requirement for a minimum of 30,000sqm of additional comparison goods floorspace by 2021.
  • In terms of convenience goods, there is not a substantial need for additional floorspace borough-wide, although there is some localised need in Brentford and Chiswick.
  • Despite the projected slowing of demand for conventional retail comparison goods floorspace outlined in the GLA and Experian’s report, overall there is a need for additional retail floorspace, even after the floorspace in the retail pipeline is constructed. At a town centre level, there will be varying impacts that will need to be monitored, with policy that is responsive to managing growth, consolidation or decline, where appropriate.

For more information please see the Hounslow Local Plan Part 1