Policy information sourced from Lambeth Local Plan 2020-2035

ED7 Town Centres

The council will support the vitality and viability of Lambeth’s hierarchy of major, district and local centres, and Central Activities Zone retail clusters, by:

  • supporting retail, service, leisure, recreation and other appropriate uses in these areas;
  • maintaining the predominant retail function of primary shopping areas in major and district centres and the Central Activities Zone retail clusters;
  • delivering the regeneration of Lambeth’s town centres;
  • improving existing retail facilities;
  • supporting and protecting market areas and areas of specialist shopping including the Lower Marsh/The Cut/Leake Street Special Policy Area;
  • safeguarding local shops and other local services to meet community need within neighbourhoods; and
  • encouraging new residential development on appropriate sites as part of a wide mix of town centre uses and supporting the conversion of unused or underused space above ground floor units for new residential accommodation (subject to the requirements of other relevant policies relating to the existing use of the property).

Development within centres will be encouraged in accordance with national policy to provide up to 800m2 net additional comparison retail floorspace across the borough by 2041.

Development in town centres and Central Activities Zone retail clusters will be supported if:

  • it is in scale and form appropriate to the size, role and function of the centre and its catchment;
  • it is designed to integrate with and add to the physical attractiveness of the area within which it is located, avoiding blank walls and façades; and
  • the mix of uses is in line with the places and neighbourhoods policies and policies ED8 (evening economy and food and drink uses), ED10 (betting shops and payday loan shops) and ED11 (local centres). Active frontage uses will be required at ground floor level. Exceptions will be allowed only outside of the primary shopping area where the nature of the development does not allow for this and/or it can be shown that a fully serviced active frontage use is unlikely to be let, and it can be demonstrated that the proposal would contribute to enhancing the vitality and viability of the centre.

Proposals for town centre uses in edge of centre and out-of-centre locations will be assessed against the sequential test and impact assessment set out in the NPPF. Applications that fail the sequential test and/or where the impact assessment (where required) demonstrates significant adverse impact will not be permitted. Where necessary and justified, the council will use conditions and/or planning obligations to limit uses consented within Classes E, F1 or F2 in order to achieve the objectives of this policy and to avoid the proliferation of main town centre uses outside of town centres.

Major redevelopment proposals will be required to re-provide on affordable terms any small shop premises that would be lost and ensure that these are available at the same time as the main elements of the development, subject to viability. This will be secured through conditions or, where appropriate, planning obligations.

In accordance with London Plan policy E9, major development proposals should provide an appropriate mix of unit sizes. Large-scale commercial development proposals (containing over 2,500m2 gross shop, service and food and drink floorspace) should consider the provision of small shops.

The subdivision of larger units of over 250 m2 gross floor area within primary shopping areas will not be permitted unless it is demonstrated, though marketing evidence, that there is a lack of demand for larger units.

The conversion or change of use of the storage and yard facilities of existing retail units will not be permitted where this would compromise the viability or future use of the remaining retail unit.