Policy information sourced from the Tower Hamlets Local Plan
D.TC2 Protecting retail in our town centres
1) Within the Primary Frontages of the District Centres and within the boundaries of Columbia Road and Redchurch Street Neighbourhood Centres, as shown on the Policies Map, development should:
- contribute to achieving a minimum of 60% of ground floor units as A1 (retail) use, and
- contribute to the activity and vitality of the town centre by offering space to meet and relax, subject to A1 (retail) units not falling below the threshold set out above.
2) Development will not be supported where it would have a negative or potentially negative impact on the vitality and viability of Primary Frontages and Columbia Road and Redchurch Street Neighbourhood Centres as well as the health and well-being of local people.
3) Within the Secondary Frontages, development should:
- contribute to achieving a minimum of 40% of ground floor units as A1 (retail) use, and
- support a broad range of non-retail commercial and community uses which support the overall function of the town centre.
4) Outside of the Primary and Secondary Frontages within the District Centres, uses that do not require high levels of footfall (e.g. offices) and supporting town centre functions will be supported alongside retail uses.
5) Within Neighbourhood Centres (except Columbia Road and Redchurch Street) and Neighbourhood Parades, the proportion of units within A1 retail use should not fall below 40% of all units within the designated centre. New development should also be appropriate to the nature and scale of the individual Neighbourhood Centre/Parade.
6) Where the loss of A1 retail units is proposed that results in the overall level of A1 units falling below the proportions set out within parts 1, 3 and 5, it must be demonstrated that the shop has been vacant for a period of more than 12 months and robust evidence of efforts made to market the shop over that period at an appropriate rent (providing three comparable shop unit rents within the town centre) is provided.
7) Where a reduction of A1 retail floorspace is proposed within Major, District and Neighbourhood Centres, development must demonstrate that:
- where there is sub-division of a large unit, the new units are of a size and scale conducive to supporting the role and function of their surroundings
- within Primary Frontages and the boundaries of Columbia Road and Redchurch Street Neighbourhood Centres, any loss of floorspace is of a scale that will not materially alter the nature of the unit, its future viability and the function of the host shopping area, and
- outside of Primary Frontages and the boundaries of Columbia Road and Redchurch Street Neighbourhood Centres, robust evidence is provided demonstrating the existing level of floorspace genuinely cannot be maintained and that appropriate height, width and depth of floorspace would remain for town centre uses.
For more information please see the Local Plan