Policy information sourced from Newham Local Plan 2018
INF5 - Town Centre Hierarchy and Network
Proposals which address the following strategic principles, spatial strategy and technical criteria will be supported:
- Strategic Principles
- The expectation that proposals will contribute to the re-definition and management of Newham’s interrelated town centre hierarchy and network as defined on map INF5 (Figure 6.3 below), securing accessible shopping, services and employment in focused, successful centres across the Borough, reducing trade leakage; and
- That regard should be had to the importance of capacity projections modelled on a borough-wide basis, with reference to the latest Newham Town Centre and Retail Study and updated monitoring of commitments, and potential trade and spatial impacts within the centre and on other proximate centres.
- Spatial Strategy
- The need for Stratford town centre, within the boundaries defined on the Policies Map, to maintain its role and function as a Metropolitan Centre and progress towards an International Centre role, ensuring it continues to meet a wide range of local, borough-wide and sub-regional needs in the scale, diversity, accessibility, and integration of its offer;
- The aspiration for Canning Town town centre, (currently a District Centre) within the boundaries defined on the Policies Map, to move up the hierarchy through transformational change to the scale, layout, accessibility and nature of its offer whilst continuing to meet local needs, integrating the new and existing parts of the centre;
- The need for East Ham town centre, within the boundaries defined on the Policies Map, to maintain its role and function as a Major Centre ensuring it continues to meet a wide range of borough-wide and local needs through improvements to accessibility, growth and renewal of floorspace, particularly aimed at consolidating its strong convenience role, whilst improving its comparison, quality leisure and community offer and retaining its independent retailers;
- The need for Green Street town centre, within the boundaries defined on the Policies Map, to maintain and develop its role and function both as a District Centre and a specialist ethnic centre, through improvements to accessibility and the growth and renewal of floorspace, creating a wider range of unit sizes and aiming to expand its comparison, community and quality leisure offer and retain its independent retailers;
- The need for Forest Gate town centre, within the boundaries defined on the Policies Map, to maintain and develop its District Centre role and function through the growth and renewal of floorspace to better meet a wide range of local community needs, targeting a medium-sized food store and comparison retailers but retaining its independent offer, and improving north-south integration over the Romford Road;
- The need for East Beckton town centre, within the boundaries defined on the Policies Map, to consolidate its convenience and local service District Centre role through renewal of floorspace and improved diversity of offer, whilst enhancing its links with local neighbourhoods;
- The need to maintain existing Local Centres as listed below and designated on the Policies Map, promoting the co-location of other essential community uses within or adjacent to them in line with INF8, recognising the particular regeneration and enhancement opportunities at North Woolwich, Manor Park and Freemasons Road (Custom House);
- The need and opportunity to create new Local Centres reflecting accessible locations with high footfall, large scale development sites and gaps in the network at West Ham station [1], Plaistow station [2], Thames Wharf [3], West Silvertown / Silvertown [4/5], and Albert Basin (Gallions Reach DLR) [6], with further sites to be identified in Beckton Riverside at accessible locations with high footfall that do not have reasonable pedestrian access (400-800m, taking into account route quality) to existing or proposed centres serving similar needs; [numbers refer to figure 6.3]
- The need to retain, and exceptionally create isolated shops together with small groups of shops which contribute to 400m accessibility benchmarks, but which are not in areas suitable for local centre scale growth, for retail use only, designating them as Local Shopping Parades – as set out in Table 13 below and on the Policies Map - and Protected Isolated Shops;
- The need for Gallions Reach Shopping Park to become a Major Centre serving the eastern edge of Newham and wider growth area, through re-configuration of its floorspace as part of a wider masterplan for the area to incorporate a more rounded offer and vertical mixed use, with improved local connections and public transport links1;
- Town centre uses will be directed to the designated Town and Local Centres first as appropriate to their scale; and
- The consolidation of existing commercial and community uses into defined centres of an appropriate scale will be encouraged, unless otherwise protected.
- Design, Management and Technical criteria:
- The requirement for impact assessments on any out of centre retail or other town centre uses over 300 sq. m net (sales floorspace) considering quantitative and qualitative issues, including spatial impacts; and
- The requirement for new publicly-accessible toilets to be provided for in new strategic development which incorporates local or town centres and that these should be managed as part of the public realm or broader community facilities open to all.
| Local Centre ID | Name/Location | Local Shopping Parade ID | Name/Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| LC1 | Manor Park | LSP 1 | Jack Cornwell Street |
| LC2 | Maryland | LSP 2 | Katherine Road |
| LC3 | High Street North | LSP 3 | Plaistow High Street |
| LC4 | Vicarage Lane | LSP 4 | Vicarage Lane (E6) |
| LC5 | Church Street | LSP 5 | West Ham Memorial Parade |
| LC6 | Plaistow Road | LSP 6 | Prince Regent Lane North |
| LC7 | Terrace Road | LSP 7 | Tollgate Road |
| LC8 | Boleyn | LSP 8 | Fife Road |
| LC9 | High Street South | LSP 9 | Cundy Road |
| LC10 | Greengate | LSP 10 | East Ham Manor Way |
| LC11 | Abbey Arms | LSP 11 | Western Gateway |
| LC12 | Freemasons Road | LSP 12 | Albert Road |
| LC13 | North Woolwich |
For more information please see the Local Plan 2018