7. Town Centres and Retailing

Aims and Objectives

7.1 To provide opportunities for people to shop for all their needs by sustainable means in town and local centres which are thriving and viable locations.

7.2 To achieve this aim, the objectives are to:

• a) promote the development of defined shopping centres as diverse, multi-functional areas which are a focus for the community, by encouraging mixed use developments, incorporating a range of activities and services and meeting the accessibility needs of the whole community;
  b) encourage uses which extend the hours during which a defined shopping centre is active by encouraging an ‘evening economy’ appropriate to the scale and function of that centre; and
  c) improve and enhance the environment of defined shopping centres generally through such measures as environmental enhancement schemes, managed access, signing, street furniture and maintenance.

7.3 The term shopping centres is used within this plan to refer to all types of centres listed below. Policy TCR1 provides details of the uses which are acceptable within shopping centres.