Southend Central Area Action Plan (SCAAP) Preferred Approach 2015

Support

Representation ID: 2300

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Valad (Europe) largely agree to the proposed approach to maintaining a prosperous retail centre, however , a number of amendments are suggested:

Object

Representation ID: 2301

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Part 7 of Policy DS1 states that the Council will encourage the landowner/landlord of a unit with little prospect of being occupied in the primary or secondary frontage to display local art. This should be removed. If this situation arises, the Council should liaise with the landowner/landlord and ask if this could be provided. It is not appropriate to set this out in policy.

Object

Representation ID: 2302

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Policy DS1 seeks to ensure that new retail development is well integrated and closely linked with the Town Centre Primary Shopping Frontage and that proposals for retail development inside or outside the Primary Shopping Area will be determined in accordance with Core Strategy Policy CP2 (relating to Town Centre and Retail Development). The policy should be amended to state that any out of centre retail will be determined in accordance with the NPPF and Policy CP2 of the Core Strategy (in so far as it conforms with the NPPF). Policy CP2 was drafted before the publication of the NPPF and is out of date in some respects, referring to the needs test, for example.

Object

Representation ID: 2303

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Three policy options are presented which seek to maintain a prosperous retail centre. In the first instance, further clarity is required as to how the length of frontage should be calculated when assessing the percentage of A1 units.

Support

Representation ID: 2304

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Valad (Europe) support Option C as it will allow for more restaurant (A3) uses which the town centre is currently lacking. More A3 uses will increase footfall and linked trips and support the night time economy thus adding to the vitality and viability of the town centre. Further flexibility should be built into this policy to allow other town centre appropriate uses to be permitted providing there is not an over concentration of these uses within a certain length of the frontage.
It is widely acknowledged that the nature of retail is changing. It must be acknowledged that retail frontage policy needs to change, to allow capacity for other, new innovative uses, as well as other leisure and supporting uses which will create vitality in the borough's centres.

Comment

Representation ID: 2305

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

The Council should also consider directing new large comparison retail developments onto existing car parks in order to help strengthen the town centre and prevent it from going into decline. This would achieve the town centre first approach to retail of the NPPF. Car parking could then be re-provided in the form of under croft or multi storey parking facilities. This would assist in relieving pressure on existing parking facilities whilst bolstering the town centre, thus enhancing its vitality and viability.

Comment

Representation ID: 2306

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Policy DS5 states that the Council will work with the freight industry and logistics to implement more efficient use of vehicles in terms of guidance, zoning and delivery timetables and suggests that this can be set out in freight management plans. Valad (Europe) Ltd suggest that the requirement for freight management plans is not set out in policy but dealt with on a case by case basis.

Comment

Representation ID: 2307

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Policy PA1 seeks to enhance the High Street experience through a number of improvements such as improving, enhancing and creating new public spaces, improved landscaping and interlinking access roads. Our client requests that specific mention is made to the Council's aspiration to open up the southern façade of The Royals Shopping Centre through the provision of a new restaurant(s) and outdoor public space etc to create a link between the High Street and the Seafront area. This, together with improved signage and access would help to link the seafront with the town centre and High Street benefitting the town centre as a whole

Object

Representation ID: 2308

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Opportunity sites 1 and 2 (Whitegate Road and Pitmans Close) have been identified as being suitable for mixed use office/residential, commercial uses, with the timescale for delivery being post 2021. The delivery timescales within which the development should be delivered should be brought forward with the aim of delivering it pre-2021 on the basis that it will bring further investment to the town centre sooner.

Support

Representation ID: 2309

Received: 15/02/2016

Respondent: Indigo Planning

Agent: Royals Shopping Centre

Policy PA7 seeks to ensure stronger integration within the Central Seafront Policy Area including improved walking and cycling linkages via St John's Church and Seaway Car Park and Marine Parade Opportunity Site (OS8) and via Pier Hill. Enhancing linkages will help to increase footfall, linked trips and in turn, help to bolster the vitality and viability of the town centre and on this basis, Valad (Europe) Ltd support this policy.