Peak Sub-Region Retail and Town Centre Study
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PEAK SUB-REGION RETAIL AND TOWN CENTRE STUDY FINAL REPORT FEBRUARY 2009 GVA Grimley 81 Fountain Street Manchester M2 2EE Contact: John Brooks Tel: 0161 956 4017 08449 02 03 04 www.gvagrimley.co.uk Peak Sub-Region Retail & Town Centre Study CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................2 2. THE PEAK SUB-REGION................................................................................................5 3. EMERGING PLANNING POLICY CONTEXT................................................................10 4. SUB-REGIONAL CONTEXT..........................................................................................16 5. HEALTH-CHECK ASSESSMENT .................................................................................27 6. IN-CENTRE SURVEY RESULTS...................................................................................53 7. TOWN CENTRE MARKETS APPRAISAL ....................................................................88 8. RETAIL CAPACITY METHODOLOGY..........................................................................94 9. DERBYSHIRE DALES - QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS................................................100 10. HIGH PEAK – QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS................................................................119 11. PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK - QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS ..........................143 12. LEISURE ......................................................................................................................154 13. STUDY CONCLUSIONS ..............................................................................................163 14. SUB-REGIONAL RETAIL HIERARCHY .....................................................................173 APPENDICES 1. CATCHMENT PLAN 2. ASHBOURNE QUANTITATIVE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS 3. BAKEWELL QUANTITATIVE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS 4. BUXTON QUANTITATIVE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS 5. HIGH PEAK CENTRAL QUANTITATIVE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS 6. GLOSSOP QUANTITATIVE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS 7. MATLOCK / WIRKSWORTH QUANTITATIVE CAPACITY ASSESSMENT A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS 8. PEAK DISTRICT – MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS A) CONVENIENCE B) NON-BULKY GOODS C) BULKY GOODS February 2009 1 Peak Sub-Region Retail & Town Centre Study 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 GVA Grimley was appointed in July 2008 to prepare a Retail and Town Centre Study of the Peak Sub-Region. The study was commissioned by a partnership of Derbyshire Dales District Council, High Peak Borough Council, the Peak District National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council (hereby ‘The Partnership’). 1.2 The study was commissioned to provide a composite picture of retail provision within the Sub- Region, identifying potential requirements for new retail floorspace in the principal centres of Ashbourne, Bakewell, Buxton, High Peak Central (Chapel-en-le-Frith, New Mills and Whaley Bridge), Glossop, Matlock and Wirksworth in the period to 2026. 1.3 The study will inform the preparation of a joint Derbyshire Dales and High Peak Core Strategy DPD as well as the Peak District National Park Core Strategy and Development Management Policies documents. 1.4 The main terms of reference for the study can be summarised as follows: • To understand the existing behaviour of the defined sub-regional catchment through detailed shopper surveys which identify convenience and comparison expenditure patterns. • To understand the future quantitative capacity for new convenience and comparison retail floorspace across the Sub-Region in the period up to 2026. • To undertake health checks of the principal centres within the Sub-Region and qualitatively appraise the performance of the centres against national benchmark data. • To identify the hierarchy of centres in the Sub-Region and to provide an indication of the role each settlement has to play in terms of their important as retail and service centres. • To provide strategic advice on the overall future retail need and the implications for policies and strategies being considered by The Partnership through the Core Strategy and wider Local Development Framework (LDF) process. 1.5 The study is informed by a range of comprehensive in-centre and household telephone surveys undertaken across the Sub-Region. The in-centre shopper survey forms the basis of the qualitative need assessment and has been designed in conjunction with The Partnership to determine: February 2009 2 Peak Sub-Region Retail & Town Centre Study • The profile of visitors and shoppers to the respective centres. • The strengths and weaknesses of the respective centres in terms of the existing retail offer, wider facilities and town centre environment. • Patterns of usage for the centre (i.e. frequency of visits, modal split, dwell times). • Suggested qualitative improvements which would persuade shoppers to visit or stay in the centre more frequently. 1.6 The household telephone survey exercise informs the quantitative component of the study, identifying the current market share performance of the principal centres within the sub-region enabling an understanding of the implications of the potential for expenditure growth in relation to existing / planned retail floorspace provision. 1.7 The results of the full quantitative analysis and qualitative appraisal are then drawn together, along with the identification of competition from planned and proposed improvements in competing centres to provide a set of recommendations to enable all stakeholders to proactively plan for future retail development. 1.8 Clearly the study conclusions represent a ‘point-in-time’ assessment and the current economic conditions may have an impact on existing provision (e.g. store closures) and the deliverability of developments coming forward in the short term. It will be important therefore that The Partnership continues to monitor the health of the principal town centres in the sub-region as part of their forward planning function, adopting and revising their respective town centre strategies where appropriate. REPORT STRUCTURE 1.9 In accordance with the terms of the Study Brief the report is structured as follows: PART ONE – BACKGROUND DETAIL AND CONTEXT • Section 1 – Introduction • Section 2 – profiles the principal centres within the Peak Sub-Region • Section 3 – sets out the emerging national, regional and local planning policy framework which will guide forward policy development. • Section 4 – details the existing and emerging pattern of retail development in the surrounding centres which could potentially impact upon the principal centres within the Peak Sub-Region February 2009 3 Peak Sub-Region Retail & Town Centre Study PART TWO – SUB-REGION CONTEXT AND CENTRE HEALTH CHECK • Section 5 – reports on the town centre health-check findings • Section 6 – summarises the headline results of the in-centre shopper survey exercise. • Section 7 – appraises the role of the town centre markets. PART THREE – QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT • Section 8 – sets out the research methodology underpinning the quantitative modelling and capacity exercise. • Section 9 – undertakes a review of the current performance and market shares of the principal town centres within the Derbyshire Dales District (Ashbourne, Matlock and Wirksworth). • Section 10 - undertakes a review of the current performance and market shares of the principal town centres within the High Peak Borough (Buxton, Glossop and the High Peak Central towns). • Section 11 – reviews the current performance of Bakewell and summarises expenditure patterns within the wider Peak District which do not have a principal centre within the defined catchment. • Section 12 – considers quantitative and qualitative gaps in leisure provision within the principal centres of the Sub-Region. PART FOUR – CONCLUSIONS AND STRATEGIC ADVICE • Section 13 – sets out our recommendations in terms of forward strategy for the principal towns within the Sub-Region. • Section 14 – confirms the hierarchy of centres within the Sub-Region. February 2009 4 Peak Sub-Region Retail & Town Centre Study 2. THE PEAK SUB-REGION 2.1 The Peak Sub-Region is one of five sub-areas identified by the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS8) for the East Midlands. Covering a geographical area extending to around 1,938 square kilometres, the Sub-Region is predominantly rural in nature, comprising the whole of the Peak District National Park and adjacent areas outside of the National Park which fall under the administrative boundaries of Derbyshire Dales District Council and High Peak Borough Council1. The 2001 census recorded the resident population of the Sub-Region to be in the order of 165,700 residents. 2.2 The principal towns are Ashbourne, Bakewell, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Glossop, Matlock, New Mills, Whaley Bridge and Wirksworth with smaller rural villages including Tideswell, Hathersage and Hope supporting the principal centres in meeting local shopping and service needs. 2.3 A brief overview of each town and its existing retail offer is provided below. A catchment plan setting the sub-region in its wider geographical context is included at Appendix 1. DERBYSHIRE DALES 2.4 The Derbyshire Dales local authority area forms the southern part of the Sub-Region, extending from beyond Ashbourne in the south through Wirksworth