Alternative Sites Assessment Oxylane Village, Broxtowe Land at Junction 26 of the M1, Nuthall
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Rep1.ort Re port GVA 3 Brindleyplace Birmingham B1 2JB Alternative Sites Assessment Oxylane Village, Broxtowe Land at Junction 26 of the M1, Nuthall September 2013 gva.co.uk Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 2. Methodology .................................................................................................................. 5 3. Results of Site Assessments .......................................................................................... 14 4. Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 27 Appendices Appendix I Long List Sites Appendix II Long List Assessment Matrix Appendix III Short List Assessments September 2013 gva.co.uk i Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment 1. Introduction Background 1.1 This Alternative Sites Assessment (ASA) report has been prepared by GVA for and on behalf of Sportstock Ltd1 in support of a planning application for an Oxylane Village on land at Junction 26 of the M1 at Nuthall. 1.2 The application is submitted in outline form with all matters reserved for subsequent approval, except for access, and proposes: “Construction of a mixed use outdoor multi-sport, lifestyle and recreation facility incorporating two buildings (GIA 5,706 sqm and 4,535 sqm) used for purposes falling within Use Class A1 (sports retail only)/A3/D1/D2 or as a garden centre (with additional outdoor sales area and polytunnels / glass houses), a leisure centre (GIA 4,714 sqm, Use Class D2), and café (GIA 412 sqm, Use Class A3), together with sports facilities and open space, construction of a new vehicular access, car parking and associated landscape and other works”. 1.3 The purpose of the ASA is to satisfy the sequential test in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for planning applications involving main town centre uses not in an existing centre and not in accordance with an up-to-date Local Plan. 1.4 This test applies to the Oxylane Village proposals because elements of the concept comprise “main town centre uses”, and the application site occupies an out of centre location where there is no specific policy support for this form of development within an up-to-date Local Plan. It is therefore necessary to demonstrate that there are no suitable alternative sites where the proposed development could be delivered firstly within town centres, then in edge of centre locations, and finally on out-of- centre sites that are better connected to the town centre. 1 Within the UK, the legal structure of the Oxylane Group comprises the retail company, Decathlon, and the property company, Sportstock Ltd. September 2013 gva.co.uk 1 Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment 1.5 The report sets out the approach and methodology for the ASA, including the identification of site requirements and area of search; the assessment of an initial long list of sites; and the more detailed analysis of short-listed sites. 1.6 Full details of the proposed development are provided elsewhere in the planning application ‘package’, but for the purposes of this report a brief introduction to the Oxylane Group and Oxylane Village is provided below. The Oxylane Group / Oxylane Village Concept 1.7 The Oxylane Group is a network of companies dedicated to sport and united in a common purpose to create desirability and make the pleasure and benefits of sport accessible to all. 1.8 In pursuance of this goal, the Oxylane Group has developed Oxylane Village; an innovative concept delivering grass-roots, family-focused formal and informal sports and recreational facilities (and programming), aimed at driving up participation levels and improving health and well-being. 1.9 The multi-sport environment is a proven catalyst for driving participation, and the Oxylane Village concept builds on this to create a unique ‘destination’ which is attractive to those who are usually deterred from taking part in physical activity, as well as those who are already active, irrespective of age or ability. 1.10 However, the concept is about more than simply providing facilities - programming and management are equally important in driving up participation. Each Oxylane Village therefore has a team working to further animate the site with a range of events and activities throughout the year. 1.11 The concept originated in France - where there are now 10 Villages welcoming more than 8 million visitors every year - and has been cited by Sport England as a best practice model for the delivery of sustainable sports development and increased levels of participation. 1.12 Oxylane Village also aligns with cross-governmental policy aimed at driving up participation levels and promoting active lifestyles, improving health and well-being, reducing obesity, improving social cohesion, and delivering a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Games. September 2013 gva.co.uk 2 Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment 1.13 Sport England and the various National Governing Bodies (NGBs) for sport are all supportive of the Oxylane Village concept, and have been involved from an early stage in helping to adapt the concept for the UK. 1.14 At the core of the Oxylane Village concept is a Decathlon sports store. Decathlon is an international brand and the original Oxylane chain, created in 1976. It now has 541 stores worldwide, each housing 65 sports and on average 35,000 products in a stand- alone retail warehouse format. 1.15 There are a total of 14 stores in the UK, and Decathlon only has a small share of the total sports market. However, the ambition is to grow this number to 120. Decathlon is therefore currently targeting the 40 largest cities and towns within the UK where there is a significant population within a 20 minute drive time catchment, which is the drive time catchment for commercial visits to its stores needed to ensure economic viability. 1.16 The Oxylane Group is aiming to roll out 30 Oxylane Villages across the UK, each focussed on a large urban area, and delivering new multi-sport facilities without the need for long term local public subsidy. 1.17 It is planned that the first Oxylane Village will be developed at Nuthall. Report Structure 1.18 Following this introduction, the remainder of the report is structured as follows: Section 2 sets out the methodology applied to the assessment of alternative sites Section 3 details the results of the alternative sites assessment Section 4 concludes the report. September 2013 gva.co.uk 3 Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment Contact 1.19 Should you require any further information, please contact either: Jon Kirby or Nick Harrison Director Director T 0121 609 8351 T 0121 609 8722 E [email protected] E [email protected] September 2013 gva.co.uk 4 Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment 2. Methodology The Policy Framework 2.1 The NPPF (March 2012) requires that local planning authorities apply a sequential test to planning applications for main town centre uses that are not in an existing centre and are not in accordance with an up-to-date Local Plan. 2.2 It states that applications for main town centre uses should be located in town centres, then in edge of centre locations, and only if suitable sites are not available should out of centre sites be considered. 2.3 Furthermore, when considering edge of centre and out of centre proposals, local authorities are directed to give preference to accessible sites that are well connected to the town centre. 2.4 Paragraph 24 of the NPPF also advises that: “Applicants and local planning authorities should demonstrate flexibility on issues such as format and scale”. Scope for Disaggregation 2.5 Oxylane Village is an entirely new concept for the UK, involving the collocation of sport and complementary retail uses to create a family-friendly destination which is uniquely aimed at driving significant and sustained growth in participation. 2.6 The Oxylane Group believe that by locating interesting, attractive and high quality products alongside excellent facilities, underpinned by first class programming and management, it is possible to drive up participation levels and improve health and well-being. 2.7 This view is consistent with Sport England guidance on the delivery of sustainable sports hubs, which acknowledges the benefits of critical mass, increased footfall, and economies of scale derived from providing a ‘one stop shop’ on a single site. September 2013 gva.co.uk 5 Oxylane Group Alternative Sites Assessment 2.8 The concept is delivered through an enabling model, whereby the commercial elements underpin the substantial up-front capital investment to purchase the land and provide the key infrastructure necessary to facilitate the delivery of sustainable sports facilities. Again, this accords with Sport England guidance, which recognises that sustainable sports hubs are dependent on the complementary development offered by the facilitating commercial partners. 2.9 The planning application is therefore supported by a Development Viability report which models the impact of separating the key components of an Oxylane Village on the deliverability of the scheme. This demonstrates that it would not be commercially feasible to deliver the concept in a disaggregated form. Quite simply, the sports facilities could not be delivered without the commercial driver provided by the collocation of supporting retail uses. 2.10 Consequently,