Shops and retailing form the lifeblood of many historic areas, providing vitality, vibrancy and an essential economic base. The retail world is fast moving and highly competitive, and the challenge is accommodating larger shops and complex retail developments in historic areas in a way that enhances their competitiveness and protects their historic character. It is vital to address this in an imaginative and proactive way.
Introduction
This report pools the experience of English Heritage and the retail development industry, drawing on recent advice from DCLG, CABE, the English Historic Towns Forum (EHTF) and others. Its purpose is to set out guidelines for achieving high quality new retail development in historic areas.
The report includes a series of case studies which illustrate how the expectations of the developer, the trader and the customer can be accommodated while preserving historic places and enhancing their surroundings. The case studies show how retail development can be successfully integrated within an historic context and add to economic prosperity. In addition, the report provides guidelines to assist local authorities and the development sector to achieve creative, robust solutions for new retail development in historic areas.
The structure of this report includes an overview of the challenge facing retail development in historic areas, an outline of the importance of retailing in historic areas, trends in retailing, a series of case studies and guidance for achieving high quality new retail development within an historic context.
The report was developed over an eight month period by English Heritage, Urban Practitioners and CB Richard Ellis through a process which included workshops with government, the development industry and design specialists. The interaction between the historic buildings and development sectors has been a major strength in the development of these guidelines. In addition, the guidelines provide an up-to-date position statement in the context of PPS6.
The policy context for this report is provided by Planning Policy Statement PPS6: Planning for Town Centres (DCLG, 2005), which sets out the government’s objective to promote the vitality and viability of town centres by planning for the growth and development of existing centres and encouraging a wide range of services in an attractive environment, accessible to all.
Other government objectives, set out in PPS6, to be taken account of include:
- enhancing consumer choice by providing a range of shopping, leisure and local services which allow genuine choice to meet the needs of the entire community and particularly socially excluded groups;
- supporting efficient, competitive and innovative retail, leisure and tourism sectors, with improving productivity;
- improving accessibility, ensuring that existing or new development is, or will be, accessible and well-served by a choice of means of transport; and
- promoting high quality and inclusive design, improving the quality of the public realm and open spaces, protecting and enhancing the architectural and historic interest of centres, providing a sense of place and a focus for the community and for civic activity and ensuring that town centres provide an attractive, accessible and safe environment for businesses, shoppers and residents.
Planning Policy Guidance Note PPG15: Planning and the Historic Environment sets out guidance for the management of historic buildings, conservation areas and other elements of the historic environment. Its companion document PPG16: Archaeology and Planning sets out the governments’ policy on archaeological remains and how they can be preserved or recorded.
It is hoped that this document will be helpful to planning authorities and developers in preparing and considering new retail schemes in historic areas.
