Policy information sourced from the Islington Core Strategy

CS 14 Retail and services

Islington will continue to have strong cultural and community provision with a healthy retail and service economy providing a good range of goods and services for the people who live, work and study in the borough. This will both support the borough’s economic development and enable people to shop locally. The council will protect and enhance the existing arts and cultural uses and encourage new arts and cultural uses, particularly within town centres.

Islington has a hierarchy of town centres with two major town centres at Angel and Nag’s Head, and two district town centres at Archway and Finsbury Park. Town centre boundaries will be defined in the Development Management Policies.

Any new major retail and leisure development should be located in these town centres in accordance with the sequential assessment set out in Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth. Any increase in retail unit size should be supported by assessments which pass the test (in PPS4) of “preserving and enhancing the established character and diversity of the town centre.”

Islington will retain the primacy of retail shops in the borough’s town centres and shopping areas and actively promote independent retail. Major retail developments will be required to provide a good supply of smaller retail units to maintain and enhance the diversity of shops in the borough and opportunities for small businesses. Specialist shopping areas, such as Fonthill Road and Camden Passage, will be actively promoted and considered when assessing future retail proposals. Shopping areas that are historic and/or locally important will also be identified in SPDs and their use and character will be protected. Through Development Management Policies, the council will prevent the amalgamation of smaller retail units to make larger single shops and also seek to limit the excessive loss of shops to other uses. Further detail on managing Islington’s town centres and shopping areas will be provided in other development plan documents and town centre strategy SPDs.

The town centres’ streets will be actively managed to balance the demands on the public realm from business, particularly restaurants and cafés, and the need for easy pedestrian movement.

Local shopping areas will be supported by creating coherent pedestrian environments and managing change of use from retail through Development Management Policies.

Hotels and visitor accommodation will help to support the retail and service economy. The appropriate location for hotels and other visitor accommodation is within town centres. 10% of hotel bedrooms will be required to be wheelchair accessible, which shall be fully-fitted from the outset.

For more information please see the Core Strategy