Policy information sourced from the Islington Local Plan

R3 Islington’s Retail Hierarchy

  • The Council will seek to maintain and enhance the retail, service and leisure function of Islington’s four Town Centres, which are designated on the Policies Map and shown on Figures 4.2 to 4.5.
  • Proposals for main Town Centre use floorspace should be located within a designated Town Centre. Proposals for these uses outside a designated Town Centre will only be permitted where they meet relevant criteria under Part C, D, E or F.

Town Centres

  • Any development proposed within a designated Town Centre must:
    1. ensure adverse impacts on vibrancy, vitality, viability and character of the centre are fully mitigated.
    2. provide a frontage which engages positively with local character and the street scene. Where historic shopfronts and features are present, these must be retained.
    3. provide a high quality design including meeting policies related to accessibility and sustainability; (iv) provide a good level of amenity for residents and businesses and ensure that adverse impacts from noise, odour, fumes, anti-social behaviour and other potential harms are fully mitigated

Central Activities Zone

  • The CAZ is the primary office location and offices will be supported and secured in line with Policies AAP1 (Bunhill and Clerkenwell AAP) and B1. Proposals for other elements of Class E including retail and other main Town Centre use floorspace in the CAZ may be acceptable where:
    1. the scale of the development would not have an adverse individual or cumulative impact on the character, function, vitality and viability of Islington’s Town Centres or LSAs. An impact assessment may be required to fully assess potential impacts;
    2. the proposal can be accommodated without adverse impact on the amenity of residents and businesses; and
    3. the proposal does not involve the loss of existing business floorspace in line with Policy B3; complements the overarching business floorspace focus within the CAZ; and does not detract from the policy requirement to maximise the amount of business floorspace as part of new development.

Local Shopping Areas

  • Proposals for development of up to 200sqm of main Town Centre uses in LSAs are not required to meet the sequential test. Proposals in excess of 200sqm must meet the sequential test and actively investigate and consider preferable locations in line with the Council’s retail hierarchy. An impact assessment may also be required for proposals in excess of 200sqm, to assess the impact of larger proposals on the existing character and function of the LSA and relevant neighbouring LSAs and Town Centres.

Edge of centre/Out of centre

  • Any proposal for main Town Centre uses in an edge-of-centre location outside LSAs or in an out-of-centre location must:
    1. meet the sequential test and actively investigate and consider sequentially preferable locations in line with the Council’s retail hierarchy, and provide robust justification for not locating in sequentially preferable locations; and
    2. provide an impact assessment which determines whether there would be likely significant adverse impacts on relevant Town Centres and/or LSAs.

Residential use in town centres

  • Additional conventional housing in town centres is acceptable subject to compliance with the following criteria and other relevant policies, Applications involving the change of use from existing Class E and/or main Town Centre uses, to residential use must:
    1. follow the ‘agent-of-change’ principle consistent with Policy DH5.
    2. ensure that the proposed residential use does not affect the operation of any continued main Town Centre use floorspace; and
    3. provide high quality dwellings with a high standard of residential amenity, consistent with other relevant policies, including those relating to housing standards, design, accessibility and sustainability.
  • New conventional housing in Town Centre locations not involving change of use of existing main Town Centre uses is supported. Proposals should be located on upper floors and must address criteria set out in Part G(i) to (iii).

For more information please see the Islington Local Plan