Overview

Town centres and retailing are crucial to the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of the borough. The size and distribution of town centres and retailing in Barnet are unique in London. The borough contains one Major Centre, a large number of District and Local Town Centres, and London’s only Regional Shopping Centre at Brent Cross. Within London, only the City of Westminster has a larger number of retail businesses.

Barnet’s town centres offer local access to a range of goods, services and facilities. They are considered to be the focal points of a sustainable development pattern in the borough, as they are widely and evenly distributed within the urban area, and tend to be the areas most accessible by a range of means of transport. Barnet’s town centres are diverse, with some supporting niche markets in addition to more general services, and they are continually adapting to a changing competitive environment, particularly as a response to the increasing use of the internet, e-mail and telephone shopping as an alternative to face-to-face contact. The borough’s town centres, together with the Brent Cross Shopping Centre, are the engines of the local economy and are one of the major locations of employment in the borough. One of the objectives of the council’s Corporate Plan is to encourage regeneration activity across the borough, which includes regenerative schemes to support key town centres.

This chapter sets out detailed policies on the development and use of land in town centres, and sets out a strategy for the location of new retail development. It also sets out the role of Brent Cross as a Regional Shopping Centre.

National Planning Policy Context

The government’s objectives for town centres and retailing, set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 6 – Town Centres and Retail Developments, are:

• To sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of town centres.
• To focus development, especially retail development, in locations where the proximity of businesses facilitates competition from which all consumers are able to benefit, and maximises the opportunity to use means of transport other than the car.
• To maintain an efficient, competitive and innovative retail sector.
• To ensure the availability of a wide range of shops, employment, services and facilities to which people have easy access by a choice of means of transport.

In 2005, PPG6 was replaced by PPS6 – Planning for Town Centres. Although PPS6 supersedes PPG6 reference is made to the earlier document because of its significance in the preparation of the UDP.

PPG6 sets out the sequential approach to selecting sites for new retail, leisure and other major tripgenerating development. This means that the first preference for new retail development should be in town centres, where suitable sites or buildings suitable for conversion are available, followed by edge-of-centre sites, District and Local centres, and only then out-of-centre sites in locations that
are accessible by a choice of means of transport. PPG6 requires development plans to set out the range and hierarchy of town centres, in order to focus development in locations where all consumers are able to benefit and in order to maximise the opportunity to use means of transport other than the car.

Ministerial guidance supplementing PPG6 (issued in 1999) stated that in preparing strategies and policies, local authorities should consider the need for new retail development over the lifetime of their development plans. Once a need was established, a sequential approach should be adopted to identify suitable sites and to include them as proposals in the development plan. ‘Need’ does not mean only capacity (in physical terms) or demand (in terms of available expenditure) within the proposed catchment area – consequently, proposals for leisure or retail development at an edgeof- centre or out-of-centre location will be required to demonstrate both a need for additional facilities and that a sequential approach has been applied in selecting the location or the site.

PPG13 – Transport (1994) sets out the government’s aims for transport, and also contains guidance relevant to town centres and retailing. It states that local authorities should adopt planning and land use policies that:

• Promote development within urban areas, at locations highly accessible by means other than the private car.
• Locate major generators of travel-demand in existing town centres, which are highly accessible by means other than the private car.
• Strengthen existing local centres which offer a range of everyday community, shopping and employment opportunities, and aim to protect their viability and vitality.

Regional Planning Policy Context

The London Plan describes the range of functions found in a town centre and provides a typology of town centres in London. Examples to be found in Barnet are:

• Metropolitan Centres located mainly in the suburbs, such as Brent Cross, that serve wide catchment areas covering several boroughs and offer a high level and range of comparison shopping. They typically have over 100,000m2 of retail floorspace, including multiple retailers and department stores, and serve significant employment, service and leisure functions.
• Major Centres, which are also important shopping and service centres, often with borough-wide catchment areas – an example being Edgware town centre. Major Centres are typically smaller in scale and closer together than Metropolitan Centres. Their attractiveness for retailing comes from hosting a mix of both comparison and convenience shopping, and they normally have over 50,000m2 of retail floorspace. Some Major Centres, which have developed sizeable catchment areas, also have leisure and entertainment functions.
• District Centres, which have traditionally provided convenience goods and services for local communities and are distributed across London. Some district centres have developed specialist functions, often as a result of their lower rents. Many have a linear nature, however, which might need to be consolidated to make more efficient use of land and transport capacity. Developing the capacity of district centres for convenience shopping is critical to ensure access o goods and services at the local level, particularly for people without access to a car.
• Neighbourhood Centres and more local centres that provide services for local communities and are of cumulative strategic significance. Neighbourhood shopping centres have a key role to play in addressing the problems of areas lacking accessible retail and other services. A report by the Social Exclusion Unit further emphasised the role of local shopping facilities in fostering social inclusion.

The London Plan sets out a strategic network of town centres across London, and identifies which fall into the various categories. It argues that each centre’s role should be tested through regular town centre ‘health checks’ and that in the light of these, town centres can be reclassified if necessary (through sub-regional development frameworks, revisions to the London Plan and via boroughs’ development plans). This will ensure that the network is sufficiently flexible to accommodate change in the role of town centres and their relationship to one another.

Borough Context

The hierarchy of town centres in the borough is shown in Table 11.1, and on Map 11.1.

Brent Cross Shopping Centre is the only Regional Shopping Centre in London, and performs a different function to the borough’s town centres. Its original role was to provide mainly car borne customers from the north of London and beyond with high quality, comparison shopping. The council considers that its regional designation, and importance to the borough, justifies a specific policy approach to Brent Cross as part of the retail planning strategy for the borough.

Edgware is defined as a Major Centre due to its size and function. Its catchment area extends beyond the local area and it provides a wide range of goods, services and facilities besides retail. Whilst Chipping Barnet and North Finchley town centres possess many of the characteristics of a Major Centre in terms of size, function and catchment area, their position in the hierarchy will only be examined in the next review of the London Plan. Out of town-centre retail facilities are found in the borough in a number of locations, including Friern Bridge Retail Park and along the Edgware Road, but do not form part of the town centre network.

The London Plan acknowledges the complexity of London’s pattern of town centres and sets out a hierarchical typology of centres. The council supports London Plan Policy 2A.5, which states that the Mayor of London will work with the city’s sub-regional partnerships to implement a polycentric strategy for London’s development, by:

• Promoting the strategic importance of its town centres in accommodating economic growth;
• Meeting the needs of Londoners; and
• Improving the sustainability of London’s development.

The council will therefore assess retail capacity and need through sub-regional partnerships where
appropriate, as it seeks to exploit and enhance the accessibility of Barnet’s town centres from the
areas which they serve (particularly accessibility by public transport, walking and cycling).

The scale of retail, commercial and leisure development is a function of the size and role of a town centre and its catchment area, and appropriate development is to be encouraged on sites in town centres listed in the London Strategic Town Centre Network (see Annex 1 of the London Plan). The council supports Policy 3D.1 of the London Plan, which makes reference to the need to strengthen the wider role of town centres, by enhancing the quality of retail and other consumer services, and designating areas for primary retail usage, secondary retail usage and for other uses. There should be provision of a full range of town centre functions including retail, leisure, employment services and community facilities, subject to other policies within the UDP. Where there is a need for additional retail development within Barnet, capacity to accommodate it will be identified following a sequential approach.

The council will follow Policy 3D.3 of the London Plan, which makes reference to the need for boroughs to provide a policy framework for maintaining, managing and enhancing their local and neighbourhood shopping facilities. Furthermore, proposals for out-of-centre development should be in line with Policy 3D.2 of the London Plan.

• Policy GTCR1
• Policy GTCR2
• Policy GTCR3
  

Preferred Locations for Retail Development

New retail development should sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of the borough’sRegional, Major, District and Local Town Centres. To achieve this, applications for retail and high trip-generating development will need to demonstrate that the sequential approach has been applied (as set out in PPG6 and subsequent ministerial advice). The sequential approach applies to:

• Comparison shopping goods – such as fashion and furniture;
• Convenience shopping – such as food; and
• Other major trip-generating uses – such as warehouse clubs.

Retailers and developers should demonstrate flexibility and realism in terms of the format, scale and design of their development, tailoring it to fit local circumstances, and taking into account the possibility of re-using existing buildings. Where a class of goods is capable of being sold from a town centre location, then that is the preferred location for the development. With regard to bulky goods retailing, it rests with retailers and developers to demonstrate that a majority of their goods cannot be sold from a town centre location. The council will also apply this sequential approach to pplications to renew existing planning permissions.

A town’s edge-of-centre, for shopping purposes, is defined as a location within easy walking distance of the primary frontage (e.g. 200 to 300 metres). In those town centres where primary frontages are not distinguished, the edge-of-centre will be measured from the main shopping area. Primary frontages are listed in Table 11.2 and also shown on the Proposals Map. The council considers that main shopping areas and secondary frontages (also defined on the Proposals Map), where they have been identified, are not rigid and may change over the lifetime of this Plan.

Although Brent Cross Shopping Centre is defined as a type of town centre by Regional Planning Guidance Note 3 (RPG3)¹ in its typology of London town centres, Brent Cross does not currently perform as wide a range of functions as a typical town centre. Any future development should be linked to an enhanced role for public transport to serve its catchment area and should make a positive contribution to encouraging a modal shift from car use to public transport. Brent Cross hopping Centre falls within the council’s Cricklewood, Brent Cross and West Hendon Regeneration Area (which is covered in more detail in Chapter 12), and so the council will expect any extension of Brent Cross and the development of its immediate environs to:

• Complement the role of Brent Cross as a type of town centre; and
• Contribute to the balanced regeneration of Cricklewood and West Hendon.

¹RPG3 was replaced by the London Plan in February 2004.

District and Local Town Centres 

Development Sites

As stated in PPS6, the council has identified the need for new development in town centres, and a range of sites are put forward in the UDP that contribute towards meeting this need. Town centre locations considered appropriate for additional retail development, including edge-of-centre sites, are set out in Table 11.3, although this list is not exhaustive. Development on these sites would primarily serve to increase the range or quality of retail provision for the existing catchment areas and should be of a scale and function appropriate to that centre.

Notes: ^(a)The justification for development at this site is the designation of the southern section (the land nearest to the existing town centre) as being suitable for use class B1, covering leisure and retail uses.

The council recognises that sites in addition to those identified in this UDP may come forward during the lifetime of the Plan. To ensure that changes to retail and town centre needs can be integrated with the UDP strategy, the council will keep under review the need and capacity for retail and other major trip-generating development. This will be carried out in co-operation with the GLA, other London boroughs, neighbouring local authorities and the private sector. If the need arises, the council will identify additional town centre development sites and investment projects. Through the use of its planning and compulsory purchase powers, key development sites can be acquired, and planning and development briefs prepared. This will be done in conjunction with local traders, local communities, land and property owners and other partners as appropriate, through, for example, town centre management initiatives or masterplans. The regeneration of town centres is a priority for the council.

Edge-of-Centre  Development Sites

Sites on the edge of town centres should not be developed for retail use where appropriate town centre sites, or other potential edge-of-centre sites shown on the Proposals Map, remain available in the locality. In accordance with the sequential approach, proposals for new sites and extensions, the redevelopment of sites, or the change of use of buildings from town centre uses, should be accompanied by:

• A statement demonstrating how the sequential approach set out in this UDP has been applied; and
• A statement establishing the need for the development in the locality.

The statement of need should substantiate how the development will benefit the catchment area, for example in the case of specialist markets or regional provision, or will benefit local communities by providing for shortfalls or addressing weaknesses in local retail provision.

Larger retail stores at the edge of a town centre can cause harm to the town centre’s vitality and viability, if not properly integrated with the existing retail provision, for example, by drawing trade from similar retailers within the centre, or by having store design or siting that discourages movement between the edge and centre of town. The council will therefore seek to ensure that edge-of-centre developments are designed so that existing retail frontage is easily accessible, and customers can readily and easily access other town centre shops, services and facilities. This can be achieved, for example, by:

• Siting the development and pedestrian access to the store so as to encourage access to and from the existing town centre frontage;
• Ensuring the design and siting of the store promote visual continuity with the existing street scene;
• Making provision for improved pedestrian links between the development and existing facilities; and
• Designing the site layout to give priority to pedestrian, cycle and public transport movement.

Out-of-Centre Locations

The UDP sets out a strategy which identifies preferred locations for new retail and other major tripgenerating development – proposals for out-of-town-centre developments will be considered against this strategy. Proposed extensions and changes of use to existing out-of-centre supermarkets and other retailing, leisure, entertainment and office development, will be considered against the same policies as proposals for new buildings. Proposals for out-of-centre retail development of over 2,500m2 must be accompanied by a retail impact assessment, and will be assessed against their immediate and long-term impact on the vitality and viability of existing town centres. This will include:

• The loss of trade from town centres;
• Any reduction in the range of services they offer; and/or
• The likelihood that it will lead to an increase in the number of vacant units in adjacent town centres.

Proposals for out-of-town-centre retail development under 2,500m2 may require a retail impact assessment. The justification for such an assessment will be made on a case-by-case basis.

When granting planning permission for further out-of-town-centre retail developments, the council may impose conditions to control the type of goods sold and/or prevent the creation of additional floorspace, in order to protect the vitality and viability of town centres. Proposals for out-of-towncentre retail and major trip-generating development will also be considered against their public transport accessibility and their traffic impacts. The council will expect proposals for large, out-of town- centre developments over 2,500m2 to be accompanied by a transport assessment.

Access to a Wide Range of Goods, Services and Facilities in Town Centres 

Maintaining Town Centre Vitality and Viability

The council considers that the vitality and viability of its town centres can be maintained and enhanced by ensuring the retention of a strong retail function, while also accommodating a diverse range of uses, where appropriate. These aims are not necessarily contradictory. The council recognises the different and distinct roles independent traders and major multiples have in town centres. Some centres have developed to fulfil specialist markets, and the council supports the contribution these centres make to creating diversity in the borough’s town centres, and to meeting the needs of Barnet’s diverse communities. The council believes that use class A1 retail functions should usually underpin the vitality and viability of the borough’s town centres – this use class is wide ranging and therefore in itself supports a diverse range of uses. The council will therefore seek to regulate the balance of uses within town centres in favour of A1 retail uses.

The council will undertake periodic shopping surveys in each of the defined town centres to determine the balance of use classes. In calculating the proportion of retail and non-retail uses, vacant properties will be included within the retail use category, irrespective of their most recent se. This is in order to avoid unnecessary disagreement between the council and developers: change of use from Class A5 (Hot Food Takeaways), through classes A4 (Drinking Establishments), A3 (Restaurants and Cafes), A2 (Financial and Professional Services Class) to Class A1 is permitted development, and most vacant town centre properties will therefore benefit from an assumed Class A1 use.

The council acknowledges that during the lifetime of the UDP there may be times when changes in retail conditions result in a high proportion of vacant units in a town centre. In such circumstances, the council considers that other uses appropriate to the town centre would be preferable to a high level of vacant retail units.

Primary and secondary frontages have been identified for the borough’s District Town Centres, as outlined in PPS6. The secondary frontages are shown in Table 11.4. These frontages seek to retain the core of retail activity at the heart of these town centres, to ensure that:

• There is a focus for shopping activity to provide maximum convenience for customers;
• Multi-purpose, single trips by customers are encouraged;
• The key retail uses that underpin the vitality and viability of the town centre are not dispersed throughout the larger centres; and
• Non-retail uses and other activities considered appropriate for town centre locations are concentrated in identified secondary areas or at edge-of-centre locations.

Some edge-of-centre locations contain shops that may be close to a town centre but remain distinct from it, due, for example, to their separation from the main centre by larger roads or nonretail frontages. It is recognised that, while excluded from the town centre, these shops make an important contribution to local shopping facilities. In these retail areas, Policy TCR19 will apply.

Diversity of Use

PPS6 advises that Local Planning Authorities should encourage diversified and complementary uses in town centres which during the day and evening support each other, to provide a more attractive environment for users. While the A1 retail use class itself accommodates a diverse range of purposes, non-retail uses can also contribute to the diversity of a town centre, thereby contributing to its vitality and viability. Therefore, within the parameters of policies TCR6 and TCR7, a diverse range of uses are encouraged within town centres. In particular, service retail uses (classes A2, A3, A4 and A5), hotels, leisure, entertainment and office uses (on upper floors) are appropriate. Town centres are also suitable locations for community services, such as doctors and dentists, and residential units. Where proposals for such uses are submitted in locations with dwellings adjacent or nearby, possible harm to residential amenity will be reduced through the use of conditions on planning permissions to control opening hours or hours of operation and to control levels of noise within and outside the proposal when open or in use.

This wide range of non-retail uses can best be accommodated in the borough’s larger town centres. These centres tend to have the best public transport access, and this will help to encourage people’s access to goods, services and facilities in ways other than by car. The council will consider the impact of new development on the operation of public transport – for example, pedestrianisation schemes should not be designed to make journeys by bus less convenient or safe. In those centres with defined primary frontages, the preferred location for non-retail uses will be in secondary frontages or at edge-of-centre locations.

Residential Accommodation

Residential accommodation in town centres can result in an increase in the number of people in these locations, increased trade for business, enhanced levels of natural surveillance and activity throughout the day and evening. Town centre dwellings also offer their occupiers ready access to town centre-based services, goods and facilities, and public transport nodes, thereby reducing the need to travel by car. The standards applied to residential development elsewhere in the borough (for example, in relation to car parking and amenity space) may be relaxed (see policies in the“Housing” chapter). The council will encourage the provision of a mix of uses, including residential, on condition that the primary retail function is not adversely affected – for example, existing rear access to ground floor shops must be retained.

Private Hire Vehicles (PHVs) – Minicabs

The council recognises that licensed minicabs (PHVs) perform a valuable role as they can reduce the need for car parking space, provide ready access to public transport facilities and reduce the need for people to travel by private car. However, the operation of minicab businesses can cause traffic congestion and loss of residential amenity in the locality of their offices. Therefore, the council will resist proposals to locate minicab offices:

• In the main and primary shopping areas of town centres;
• Close to residential properties; or
• In areas with existing traffic congestion problems.

Car Showrooms

Car showrooms can be the cause of particular problems when they are located in town centres and in retail frontages. These can be avoided by selecting locations where the continuity of the shopping frontage or the free flow of traffic are not disrupted – the preferred locations for car showrooms will be at the edges of town centres.

The council recognises that markets, whether they are covered, on-street or off-street, are generally popular with shoppers. They can contribute to the atmosphere, diversity and vitality of town centres in general, and shopping facilities in particular. Furthermore, markets encourage enterprise and could provide small businesses with an opportunity to be established. There are potential environmental problems associated with markets however, especially regarding litter, noise, traffic and parking congestion. Any adverse impacts can be reduced through good management of individual stalls and the general market area.

Mixed Use Development

The council sets a high priority on the regeneration of declining town centres and this can be achieved through well designed, mixed use development. New town centre developments should incorporate a mix of uses, which will therefore contribute towards meeting the government’s sustainable development and social inclusion objectives. In particular, new town centre developments should include affordable and market housing for rent or sale (see policies in the “Housing” chapter). The council will maximise the benefits of such mixed use development by:

• Ensuring that communities have access to a range of facilities including jobs, homes, entertainment and shops in close proximity to each other;
• Ensuring activity within and/or outside the building throughout the day and in the evening;
• Maximising natural security and surveillance, with people in the building throughout the day; and
• Making best use of energy efficiency measures such as combined heat and power schemes.

North Finchley Town Centre – Tally Ho Corner Special Policy Area 

The council and its partners are seeking to promote the regeneration of North Finchley Town Centre based upon evening economy and leisure uses, following the development of the artsdepot, an arts centre erected as part of a mixed use development on the site of the former Gaumont Cinema at Tally Ho Corner. Therefore, the council will promote non-retail uses in addition to retail uses along allards Lane and Nether Street, and treat this area as a special policy area, exempt from Policies TCR6 and TCR7. These policies will still apply to the remainder of North Finchley Town Centre.

Neighbourhood Centres and Local Shopping Parades 

There are a number of neighbourhood shopping centres in the borough, including those at:

• Golders Green Road
• Hampden Square
• Holders Hill Circus
• Great North Road, New Barnet
• Colney Hatch Lane
• Apex Corner
• Hale Lane
• Deansbrook Road
• New Southgate
• Grahame Park.

Such locations have significant economic and social functions. They offer a particularly important and convenient service for those who are less mobile, especially the elderly and disabled people, families with small children and those without access to a car.

Where a change of use is acceptable, use classes A2 and A3 will normally be preferable to other uses, because of the services such uses provide to the general public. One of the ways to address the problem of a lack of local services in some areas (proposed by the government’s Social Exclusion Unit) is to bring shops back to deprived areas; therefore, reference should be made to Policy CS1 in the “Community Services” chapter, which encourages the provision of community and religious facilities in the borough. In the case of a proposed residential use of a shop in a neighbourhood centre, before any change would be permitted, the unit would have:

• To have been actively marketed for at least 18 months prior to the application being made;
• Have no interest expressed in it for retail or similar use; and
• Have an acceptable standard of amenity.

In these cases, Condition iii of Policy TCR19 would not apply, since allowing the change to residential use will contribute towards increasing housing supply, as quantified in Policy GH1.

Town Centre Environmental Quality 

The council considers that town centres must provide a high quality environment if they are to continue to be places where people wish to go. The council has undertaken a programme of town centre enhancements and will continue to identify areas for improvement through the development of town centre action plans. The council will work with its partners to improve the quality of life for all by fighting crime, reducing the unnecessary fear of crime, and designing out opportunities for crime in the physical environment. Further advice is contained in the council’s Design Guidance Note on Designing to Reduce Crime.

Design

The design of any proposals within town centres should have proper regard to their relationship with their surroundings and should, where appropriate, preserve and enhance local character. This Plan contains general urban design policies in the “Built Environment” chapter. New retail developments should be designed to ensure that they are not inward looking or self-contained, but contribute to the vitality and viability of the whole town centre, by creating or maintaining a street frontage building line and providing convenient linkages for pedestrians to access other town centre premises and spaces.