Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH RETAIL CAPACITY STUDY Final Report September 2007 ROGER TYM & PARTNERS 3 Museum Square Leicester LE1 6UF t 0116 249 3970 f 0116 249 3971 e [email protected] This document is formatted for double-sided printing. CONTENTS 1 INSTRUCTIONS AND OUTLINE OF REPORT ........................................................................1 Structure of Remainder of Report .............................................................................................. 1 2 THE NATIONAL POLICY CONTEXT........................................................................................3 Introduction................................................................................................................................ 3 The Government’s Objectives.................................................................................................... 3 Positive Planning for Town Centres: A Plan-led Approach ........................................................ 4 Development Control ................................................................................................................. 8 Monitoring and Review ............................................................................................................ 12 Conclusions and Changes in Emphasis................................................................................... 13 Implications of the New White Paper of May 2007................................................................... 14 3 REGIONAL AND LOCAL PLANNING POLICY .......................................................................15 Local Planning Policy............................................................................................................... 18 4 REVIEW OF KEY RETAIL AND LEISURE MARKET TRENDS...............................................23 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 23 Retail Sector ............................................................................................................................ 23 Leisure Sector.......................................................................................................................... 34 5 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS .................................................................................................41 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 41 Performance Indicators............................................................................................................ 41 Summary of the Retail Performance of Hinckley Town Centre ................................................ 48 6 STREET-SIDE SURVEY OF PEDESTRIANS.........................................................................49 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 49 Postcode Origin of Respondents - Defining the OCA .............................................................. 49 Travel Mode to the Town Centre and Place of Parking............................................................ 50 Frequency of Visit to Hinckley Town Centre ............................................................................ 50 Main Purpose of Visit to the Town Centre................................................................................ 50 Aspects Most Liked/Disliked About the Town Centre and Ways to Improve It ......................... 51 Adequacy of Current Commercial Leisure Facilities ................................................................ 51 7 CURRENT PATTERNS OF RETAIL AND LEISURE VISITS ..................................................53 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 53 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 53 Comparison Shopping Patterns ............................................................................................... 55 Convenience (Food and Groceries) Shopping Patterns........................................................... 59 Leisure Patterns....................................................................................................................... 62 Conclusions on Retail and Leisure Spending Patterns ............................................................ 64 8 QUANTITATIVE RETAIL CAPACITY ANALYSIS ...................................................................67 Summary of Methodology and Data Inputs.............................................................................. 67 Quantitative Assessment of Need for Further Comparison Sector Floorspace........................ 69 Quantitative Assessment of Need for Further Convenience Sector Floorspace ...................... 73 9 ASSESSMENT OF SCOPE FOR ADDITIONAL COMMERCIAL LEISURE PROVISION ........77 Forecast Increases in Leisure Expenditure.............................................................................. 77 Conversion of Expenditure Increases to Additional Leisure ‘Requirements’ ............................ 78 Summary of Scope for Additional Commercial Leisure Facilities............................................. 81 10 ASSESSMENT OF SCOPE FOR ADDITIONAL OFFICES .....................................................83 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 83 Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS8) ......................................................... 83 Leicestershire County Council – Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan 1996- 2016 (LLRSP) .......................................................................................................................... 83 Leicestershire County Council – Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Employment Land Availability Monitoring Report (2006) ....................................................................................... 84 BE Group – Employment Land and Premises Study (May 2004) ............................................. 84 Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Employment Land Availability Monitoring Statement (ELMS, 2006)........................................................................................................................... 85 Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – Local Development Framework: Annual Monitoring Report 2005-06........................................................................................................................ 86 Findings from Our Local Consultations.................................................................................... 86 Summary ................................................................................................................................. 87 11 MONITORING AND REVIEW.................................................................................................89 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 89 Guidance on Monitoring........................................................................................................... 89 The Monitoring Framework ...................................................................................................... 90 12 OVERALL CONCLUSIONS AND KEY RECOMMENDATIONS ..............................................93 Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 93 Current Hierarchy of Centres ................................................................................................... 93 Summary of Performance Analysis and Key Qualitative Needs............................................... 94 Summary of Quantitative Need – Retail.................................................................................... 95 Summary of Need - Commercial Leisure and Office Sectors................................................... 96 Opportunities for Meeting Identified Needs.............................................................................. 97 Summary of Implications for Meeting Identified Retail Needs................................................ 100 TO BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH: ANNEX 1 - Appendices to the Main Report ANNEX 2 – Retail and Leisure Capacity Spreadsheets Hinckley & Bosworth Retail Capacity Study Final Report 1 INSTRUCTIONS AND OUTLINE OF REPORT 1.1 In March 2007, Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council commissioned Roger Tym & Partners to undertake a retail capacity study to inform the Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) by assessing the role and contribution that Hinckley town centre can make towards meeting future retail needs. 1.2 The study brief defined a number of ‘objectives’, including the need to: determine the role and function of Hinckley town centre, and its position in the retail hierarchy, by recourse to a ‘health check’; establish the catchment population that Hinckley town centre currently serves, and conduct an analysis of retail patterns; assess the current and future need for additional comparison and convenience retail floorspace; advise, in broad terms, on the scope for additional