Policy information sourced from the Sutton Local Plan 2016-2031

18: Shopping Frontages and Town Centre Uses

Town Centre Development

a. Within Sutton Town Centre, District Centres and Local Centres, the council will grant planning permission for new development that:

  1. is suitable to the scale, role, function and the character of the centre and its catchment.
  2. makes the optimum use of the site providing a town centre use or mix of town centre uses suitable to the scale of the development and its location within the centre.
  3. provides active frontages at ground floor level and is compatible with council’s requirements on shopping frontages.

Shopping Frontages

b. Within the Primary Shopping Frontages of Sutton Town Centre and the shopping malls of Sutton Town Centre, the council will expect the proportion of A1 (retail) ground floor units not to fall below 75% and that there should not be more than three adjoining non-A1 uses within the Primary Shopping Frontage.

c. Within the Primary Shopping Frontages of District Centres, the council will expect the proportion of A1 (Retail) ground floor units not to fall below 55% and that there should not be more than three adjoining non-A1 uses within the Primary Shopping Frontage.

d. Within the Secondary Shopping Frontages of Sutton Town Centre and District Centres, the council will consider other town centres uses (for definition see glossary and box above) as suitable uses provided that the proposed development does not result in more than three adjoining non-A1 uses.

Intrusive Town Centre Uses

e. Within Shopping Frontages and Local Centres the council will grant planning permission for A5 (Hot Food Takeaway) uses, provided that:

  1. the total units in a centre in an A5 use is not already over 20% or the proposal does not take the percentage of total units in a centre on an A5 use above 20%, or:
  2. the number of A5 (Hot Food Takeaway) uses in a frontage (defined as the frontage units between two side roads) does not exceed two.

f. Within Shopping Frontages and Local Centres the council will not grant planning permission for conversions or change of use which result in C2/C3/C4 (residential) ground floor uses, where permission is required, unless the unit is vacant and it has been demonstrated that it has been marketed at a reasonable market rent through a recognised agent for 12 months.

For Sutton Town Centre, District Centre and Local Centre boundaries and shopping frontages see Appendix 3, Maps 3.1 to 3.38, and Policies Map.

For more information please see the Local Plan 2016-2031