News Archive 2009 and Earlier

PPS4 and Guidance released Dec 2009
The new Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth has now been issued along with the guidance document Planning for Town Centres: Practice guidance on need, impact and the sequential approach and the responses to the consultation draft. See also the press release.

London Town Centre Healthchecks Dec 2009
The Greater London Authority has published an analysis of the state of over 200 of its town centres using a wide range of indicators, including an examination of change over time.

Retail Development Pipeline Dec 2009
BSCS and Lunson Mitchenall have published a research paper looking at current trends in the development pipeline and future prospects. BCSC have also written to the Chancellor ahead of the pre-budget report, setting out recommendations to revitalise the pipeline.

Education for Retail Planning Nov 2009
The scoping paper prepared for the NPRF considering the current state of retail planning education and how it might be improved has been revised.

Report: State of the Markets Nov 2009
The Retail Markets Alliance has published Markets 21, a policy and research review of UK retail and wholesale markets, shedding valuable new light on the health of this traditionally under-researched sector.

Government response to Select Committee Nov 2009
The government has published its response to the House of Commons Communities & Local Government Select Committee report into the Government's policy on planning for town centres. A pdf version is also available.

Linked trips and town centre viability Nov 2009
A recent article in Town & Country Planning examines the impact of a foodstore moving from an out-of-town to an edge-of-centre location. With kind permission of the TCPA, Professor Neil Wrigley and colleagues.

EVENT ACS Local Shop Campaigner Seminar Nov 2009
The Association of Convenience Stores offered retailers a unique opportunity to speak to the MPs who will be shaping retail policy in the run up to the next General Election at their Heart of the Community Seminar in London on Tuesday 3rd November.

London First Retail Commission Oct 2009
This commission, established earlier in the year to investigate and recommend how to encourage and sustain a diverse retail sector in the capital, has published its final report.

London Plan & Small Shops Consultation Oct 2009
The consultation draft of the replacement London Plan has been published. Of particular note are the Town Centres policy (2.15) and the Retail Policies (4.7-4.9), especially the expected Affordable Small Shops policy (4.9). Supplementary guidance is to be produced on implementing this.

The London Assembly’s Planning and Housing Committee is carrying out a short review of how the planning system and other initiatives can provide support for London’s local and neighbourhood shops and small independent shops. Closing date is 3 November. Read the background to the review here.

Extent of Retail Development in England 2007 Oct 2009
CLG have released statistics on the extent of retail development in England for 2007, with 33% being built in town centres, rising to 44% when edge-of-centre (represented by a 300m buffer) is included. Analysis by region and 5 year averages for each local authority are also available.

ATCM Monitoring Town Centre Performance Oct 2009
An article on the ATCM Chief Exec's blog describes a new database, Milestone, being developed by ATCM and Springboard which will bring together a range of sources to help town centre managers monitor and compare the performance of their centres. See a presentation here.

BCSC's Retail Statistics Oct 2009
BCSC have published a useful statistical report on UK retail property prepared by Experian. The full report is accessible only by BCSC member but a summary is available to all.

Traditional Markets Working Group Oct 2009
In response to the report of the Communities and Local Government Commons Select Committee inquiry into traditional retail markets, the Government has announced it is setting up a Traditional Markets Working Group, led by CLG and including several government departments, industry and local government representatives.

Competition Test Update Oct 2009
The Competition Commission have issued their final decision on the proposed Competition Test. As before they recommend a test be introduced for larger grocery stores, with the OFT as statutory consultee in the planning process, albeit with small extensions permitted.

Entry & Exit of Small High Street Stores Sept 2009
A recent paper by Professor Neil Wrigley and others in the journal Environment & Planning A (2009 vol 41, pages 2063 - 2085) extends the recent work of the Competition Commission on the impact of large foodstores on small shops and looks at the planning policy implications. This paper has been made available to the National Retail Planning Forum and its members by kind permission of the publishers, Pion Ltd.

Evidence-based Retail Planning? Sept 2009
In light of the emphasis on evidence-based planning in the new draft PPS NRPF Research working group paper considers what evidence base is currently being used, what is needed and how the gap between the two can be closed.

Response to Draft PPS4 Consultation July 2009
Read our Research Group's response to the consultation on the draft Planning Policy Statement 4.

Need & Impact: Planning for Town Centres July 2009
The Commons Communities & Local Government Select Committee has published the report of its inquiry into the Government's proposed changes to PPS 6 (now draft PPS4 and accompanying good practice guide). See the press release - main recommendations are that needs test should be retained alongside the new impact test and that monitoring and resourcing should be improved.

The full report is available as a searchable pdf file or in a browsable version; both contain full transcripts of oral evidence and written submissions including BCSC's memorandum on statistics and CLG's response.

NRPF EVENT - Retailing out of recession July 2009
The programme and presentaions from our recent LGA-sponsored event 'Retailing out of recession – the challenges ahead' held in Birmingham on July 17th 2009 are now available here or under 'Resources' on the menu above.

21st Century High Streets Report July 2009
A new report from the British Retail Consortium sets out recommendations for securing the long term future of town centre retailing beyond the current recession with many case studies.

Competition Commission - and Test July 2009
In the latest stage of the Inquiry into the Groceries Market following the Tesco appeal, the Competition Commission have set out their case for a competition test.

Tackling Obsolete Retail Property July 2009
A white paper by the Retail Think Tank looks at the shop vacancy problem (see also recent research by the Local Data Company, and by Experian for the BBC), and suggests some solutions.

EVENT - WUWM Retail Conference June 2009
The WUWM Retail Conference took place in London on June 26th/27th with the theme 'Policies that Ensure Market Success’ with high-profile speakers from the UK and across the EU.

More Parliamentary Questions & Answers June 2009
Recent written answers to questions on encouranging innovative town centre development, and research into the social effects of prosperous town centres.

BPF Regeneration Manifesto May 2009
The British Property Federation has set out measures to kick-start regeneration projects, including the use of bonds underwritten against future tax revenues. See the press release and report.

London Retail Commission May 2009
London First have established a retail commission to investigate and recommend how to encourage and sustain a diverse retail sector in London.

CONSULTATION: New PPS & Good Practice May 2009
The proposed PPS 'Planning for Prosperous Economies', which will replace PPS4, PPG5, PPS6 and parts of PPS7, has been published. A living draft of the accompanying good practice guide on Need, Impact and the Sequential Approach has also been published. Consultations on both documents were open until 28 July 2009.

New Retailing in Eco-Towns Briefing Note May 2009
Continuing the successful series prepared for us by the Institute for Retail Studies at the University of Stirling, the latest NRPF Briefing Note looks at retail aspects of the proposed new eco-town developments.

Reviving empty shops Apr 2009
DCLG have announced new measures and funding to to help communities find creative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops have on the high street, along with a practical guide 'Looking after our Town Centres', which identifies the best ways and steps communities can take to keep town centres thriving.

NRPF Knowledge Base updated Apr 2009
The NRPF Knowledge Base, our unique (and free!) resource for everyone with an interest in retail planning, has now been updated. The annual update contains materials published during 2008, with a commentary highlighting key policy and research trends, while the main comprehensive Knowledge Base has been consolidated to include summaries of all materials published during the last 10 years; both are fully indexed, searchable and downloadable. Our annotated list of useful websites has also been completely revised.

CLG floorspace statistics Mar 2009
CLG have released floorspace and rateable value statistics for commercial and industrial properties in England and Wales at 1 April 2008. Statistics at a finer geographical scale are also available on the Neighbourhood Statistics website within the 'physical environment' topic.

Tesco/Competition Test case judgement Mar 2009
The Competition Appeals Tribunal has judged in favour of Tesco's challenge to the lawfullness of the Competition Commission's recommendation to introduce a 'competition test' into the retail planning processs. See summary and full details. The impact on PPS6 revisions remains to be seen.

Medium-sized and smaller towns Mar 2009
A new report from BCSC 'Medium-sized and Smaller Towns - Raising the Game' uses case studies to show how new schemes in these centres can, with sufficient committment and understanding, create new vitality, reverse the decline in the retail offer and attract growing numbers of customer.

Policies to support a healthy retail sector Feb 2009
A review (and summary findings) by Stirling University's Institute for Retail Studies for the Scottish Government explores the policies adopted to support a healthy retail sector and undertake retail-led regeneration, and the impact of retail on the regeneration of town centres and local high streets.

New 'Planning for Prosperity' PPS to replace PPS6 and others Mar 2009
Responding to the Taylor Review on the rural economy and affordable housing, the government have announced plans to bring together several exisisting planning policy statements and guidance notes, including PPG4 and PPS6. A consultation draft is to be published shortly. See also these House of Lords written answers.

EVENT Convenience Retailing Show Mar 2009
This free event took place at the NEC Birmingham from March 1st to 3rd.

PPS6 consultation responses published Feb 2009
CLG has published a summary of the responses to its public consultation on the proposed changes to PPS6.

The benefits of Retail-led Regeneration Jan 2009
A new research report from BitC and BCSC 'Retail-led Regeneration: Why It Matters to Our Communities' demonstrates how retail-led regeneration has revitalised five communities, reducing levels of deprivation. Read more about the BitC Under Served Markets project here.

Parliamentary report: Building Local Jobs Jan 2009
A report by the All Party Urban Development Group looks at the benefits of using regeneration as a vehicle to deliver jobs for local people, best practice in the field and what the barriers are for such initiatives.

EVENT - National Food Markets Conference Dec 2008
The Third National Food Markets Conference - ‘Growing a Market’ took place in Blackpool on 9th December. Keynote speakers included Carolyn Steel, Author of 'Hungry City: How Food Shapes Our Lives'; Robin Butler, Chief Executive Lendlease Europe; Mike Wilkinson, Chief Executive, Blackpool and Lancashire Tourist Board and NRPF and Borough Market's George Nicholson.

NRPF Briefing Notes in context Nov 2008
An article in the International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management looks at the NRPF Briefing Notes in the context of the changing retail planning policy agenda.

Extent of Retail Development in England Nov 2008
CLG have released statistics on the amount of retail floorspace built during 2006 within town centres and the edges of town centres in England.

EVENT - Best Practice in Regeneration Nov 2008
The BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration were presented at a ceremony in Leeds Town on 25th November, providing a change to meet the people setting the pace in regeneration.

Parliamentary Answer Oct 2008
A recent written answer sets out the research used by CLG to assess the impact of the proposed changes to PPS6.

Beyond Eco-towns - Lessons from Europe Oct 2008
A new report from PRP, URBED and Design for Homes looks at eco-towns and sustainable urban extensions through case studies from Europe and an examination of the economic issues, including retail provision.

New Town Centre Partnerships guide Oct 2008
Managing Town Centre Partnerships: A guide for practitioners has been published by CLG, the very useful product of a 2 year action-learning project involving 21 town centres of differing sizes from across England.

Under Served Markets revisited Oct 2008
The Guardian has returned to the Tesco at Failsworth in Oldham, one of the Under Served Markets project pilots, to see whether the see whether it has achieved its aims.

Town Centres and the London Economy Oct 2008
A report by Nicholas Falk of URBED, Over the Edge?, looks at the health of centres in North and West London and their counterparts beyond the GLA boundary, looking at wider issues of successful suburban town centres. A free breakfast talk on the report on October 15th was part of a series connected to New London Architecture's exhibition on London's Towns.

Future of Retail Property - the movie Oct 2008
The BCSC has produced short online films for each of its Future of Retail Property research reports; these provide easily digestible summaries of the programme's findings. The BCSC response to the PPS6 consultation is also available online.

Has PPS6 hindered independent retailers? Oct 2008
Recent research by Dr Rafaella Sadun at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics suggests the acceleration of the decline of independent retailersan may be an unintended consequence of the 'town centres first' approach.

CONSULTATION - Definitions for Retail Planning Oct 2008
The NRPF’s new Definitions for Retail Planning cover a range of parameters widely used in retail planning analysis and forecasting. They are now published in draft form, and comments from interested parties were invited by 19th December.

Retail-led regeneration and changes to PPS6 Sep 2008
Presentations from a recent workshop held jointly by NRPF, the LGA and Business in the Community looking at the impact of the proposed revisions to PPS6 on retailing in deprived areas are now available on the Underserved Markets page, along with the USM response to the PPS6 consultation.

CLG Floorspace Statistics - update Sep 2008
The outcome of CLGs consultation into the future of their floorspace statistics has been announced; outputs will continue down to district level and below as before, with minor changes to the production process.

NEW Retail Planning Statistics resource Jul 2008
Our new Planning Statistics website provides an easy way to access retail and town centre planning statistics for England & Wales through maps, by searching or to download and is completely free to use!

Affordable Small Shops in London Plan Jul 2008
Proposals have been announced to amend the London Plan to enable planners to use section 106 agreements to require developers to make provision for affordable small shop units in major retail schemes.

Groceries inquiry: Government response Jul 2008
The Government's response to the Compertion Commission investigation into the groceries market has been published. There will be further reflection on the proposed competition test following the outcomes of the consultation on revisions to PPS6 and the Tesco legal challenge.

NEW Retail Planning Statistics resource Jul 2008
Our new Planning Statistics website is now live. It provides an easy way to access retail and town centre planning statistics for England & Wales through maps, by searching or to download and is completely free to use!

Initially it contains CLG's Town Centre Statistics for nearly 1500 centres with extra Retail Core data for the 700 largest. The website can also be found under 'Resources' in the navigation at the top of any page on this site.

Consultation on changes to PPS6 Jul 2008
Consultation on revisions to PPS6, including removal of the needs test and a strenthened impact test, took place until 3 October. See the CLG press release and full proposed revised PPS6.

Town Centre Health Checks Jul 2008
At a recent NRPF Research Group meeting, Gerard Burgess from the GLA gave a presentation on the 2008 London Town Centre Health Checks. The methodology draws on NRPF's ealier research (see also appendices) into this area .

Website changes Jul 2008
As well as updating the design, the navigation options have been changed to make the content easier to find. Newsletters are now in the 'News' menu and the Retail Planning Knowledge Base has its own 'Knowledge' menu. In the expanded 'Resources' menu are materials from our events and the Under-Served Markets project, along with our publications and details of our research programme.

Conservative Small Shops Commission Report Jul 2008
The Conservative Parliamentary Enterprise Group's commission into small shops has published its final report, recommending retention of the needs test.

Urban Regeneration Briefing Note Jul 2008
The latest paper in our series prepared by the Insititute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling looks at Retail-led Urban Regeneration.

AIM Research publications Jul 2008
The Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM) and ESRC are looking at retail planning as part of their Retail Sector Business Engagement Project. See also the report 'How Does UK Retail Productivity Measure Up'

Event - The Planning Convention Jul 2008
NRPF sponsored this year's RTPI Planning Convention in London from 9-11 July, including a reception on the evening of the 9th.

Event: Retail Regeneration & Development 2008 June 2008
Subtitled 'Designing the future landscape of retail', this NRPF-supported event in Central London on 25th June focused on how schemes can contribute and indeed pave the way to local regeneration, identifying both opportunity and best practice in retail design.

Event: European Retail Markets Driving Communities June 2008
The WUWM Retail Conference was held in Hamburg on 12th and 13th June

Retail Planning - A Review May 2008
Presentations from our Manchester event on May 22nd are now available to download. UPDATE - DCLG presentation now added.

House of Commons Debate May 2008
The Westminster Hall Supermarkets debate on 13th May included discussion of the need test and proposed competition test.

Retail Planning in London May 2008
Michael Bach's recent article in Planning in London considers the impact of recent and possible future policy changes on retail and town centre planning in Greater London.

PPS London Elections Briefing May 2008
A briefing note from PPS Group looks at the likely impact of new London mayor Boris Johnson on planning matters in the capital.

Competition Commission Final Report Apr 2008
The final report of the Groceries Market inquiry recommends a Competition Assessment within the planning system, as suggested in the earlier proposed remedies. The report discusses some of the responses to those proposals - see section 7.34 onwards (the NRPF response is here).

BIDs Briefing Note Apr 2008
A new paper in our series prepared by the Insititute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling looks at Business Improvement Districts.

Event - ACS Summit 2008 Apr 2008
The Association of Convenience Stores annual flagship event in Birmingham on April 24th will focus on innovation, community and the environment.

Event - BURA Seaside Symposium Mar 2008
An event looking at the diversification and regeneration of seaside places, held in Blackpool from 5-7 March.

Under Served Markets project Mar 2008
Materials from the recent BitC Under Served Markets project practitioner workshop in London and the USM Reseach Guide are now online, along with more details and materials from earlier events in the series.

NRPF Knowledge Base Updated Mar 2008
The latest update to our Knowledge Base, looking critically at relevant research from 2007, is now online. Our recommendations for the retail planner's bookshelf have also been updated, along with the annotated list of useful websites.

New Book: Open for Business Mar 2008
Photographer (and NRPF secretary) George Nicholson's forthcoming book 'Open for Business' celebrates the shops and market of Fulhams' North End Road. Read the afterword by NRPF chairman Chris Brearley which addresses the hot topic of secondary shopping; to see the foreword by the BBC's Evan Davis you'll need to read the book!

Ministerial Statement Mar 2008
CLG Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Iain Wright's recent response in a Westminster Hall debate on High Street Shops gives more clues about the forthcoming revisions to PPS6.

Food Security Mar 2008
In a recent lecture ‘Food Security: are we sleepwalking into a crisis?’, Prof. Tim Lang of City University explored the clash between our cheap food culture and the challenge of providing a sustainable food supply for the future. Another related lecture.

Floorspace Statistics and Consultation Mar 2008
DCLG has released floorspace and rateable value statistics for commercial properties, including retail, in England & Wales at 1 April 2007. A consultation on the future of these statistics has now closed.

Making Retail Research Accessbile Mar 2008
A recent ESRC event aimed to discover the big questions in retail that the academic community can help to address, based around a report by the Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM).

NRPF Research Programme Feb 2008
The research page has been updated with details of our latest projects.

Competition Commission Remedies Feb 2008
The Competition Commission has published the provisional decision on remedies for the Groceries Market inquiry. This recommends a Competition Assessment is included within the planning process at the development control stage, with the OFT as a statutory consultee, for grocery store developments larger than 1000sq m. based on fascia count and floorspace, but no other specific changes to the planning system.

Retail Development Bill - Update Feb 2008
The debate from the second reading in the Lords of this Private Members' Bill to "provide support for small retail businesses; to establish the Office for Retail Planning; to make provision about retail planning and development" etc. is worth reading, especially the ministerial response (Lord Bassam) for insight into how the Government thinks it is addressing the issues.

Community Infrastructure Levy Jan 2008
DCLG have published a document on the proposed Community Infrastructure Levy, setting out its views on how this would operate. Retail is not explicitly mentioned, but is currently one of the forms of development which would contribute.

Consultation on 'Call In' Directions Jan 2008
DCLG is consulting on proposed changes to 'call in' directions. The Shopping Direction would be cancelled. A new Direction would reduce the number of cases notified to Government Offices by cutting out all retail developments between 2,500 sqm and 4,999 sqm and all extensions under 2,500 sqm.

Consultation on draft PPS4 Jan 2008
A draft of new Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Development has been issued by DCLG for consultation.

Retail Data Briefing Note Jan 2008
A new briefing note considers the evidence base for retail planning, the latest in our series by the Insititute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling.

Event - Retail Property Forum Jan 2008
Retail Week's Property Directors' Forum took place in central London on 22nd January.

Town Centre Statistics Dec 2007
DCLG has released floorspace and employment statistics for English & Welsh town centres for the years 1999 to 2004 inclusive as part of its State of the Cities database. DCLG has also prepared a user guide to the database.

NB the site is designed for Internet Explorer version 6; other versions and browsers may have problems accessing some sections. Note also that data and maps for Retail Cores will be updated later in 2008.

NRPF Event: Review of Retail Planning Nov 2007
Our autumn event brought together a diverse group of speakers to examine where current retail and town centre planning policies have taken us, and to debate their future.

Under Served Markets Nov 2007
View materials from the series of practitioner workshops being run to accompany the BitC Under Served Markets project's new how-to guide, along with details of forthcoming events and the guide itself.

Local shops: A European perspective Dec 2007
A report by the International Federation of Grocers Associations gives a useful comparison of independent food retailers in 10 northern European countries including the UK, with good practice advice for each.

Supermarkets and Planning Regulation Nov 2007
Professor Rachel Griffiths presented research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies to the NRPF Research Group. Although still work in progress, this suggests that the impact of planning regulation on supermarket prices is very small. It also highlights the need for more data on retail planning, especially on planning outcomes

Future of Retail Property Nov 2007
See Dr Richard Barkham's recent presentation to the NRPF Research Group on the BCSC's Future of Retail Property research programme.

Competition Commission report Oct 2007
The provisional findings of the groceries market inquiry have been published with major implications for retail planning. See the press release, notices of provisional findings and remedies and full report.

Vision, Persistence and Luck Oct 2007
Read NRPF Secretary George Nicholson's article on retail-led regeneration in the BURA journal.

National Food Markets Conference Nov 2007
This event in London on 20th November aims to promote solutions and debate the issues facing the food industry in town and country alike.

Retail & Town Centres Planning Update Oct 2007
Consultant Michael Bach's presentation from a recent RTPI event gives a useful update of the last year's events in retail and town planning.

Sequential Approach Briefing Note Aug 2007
Read the latest paper in our series prepared by the University of Stirling's Insititute of Retail Studies.

The Evolution of Retail Planning Policy July 2007
NRPF secretary George Nicholson's presentation to an LGA conference on the Planning White Paper.

Balancing Trade: retail conservation July 2007
An Independent Commission set up by the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea recommends actions to help local shops flourish - see the report.

The Role of Business in Regeneration July 2007
The All Party Parliamentary Urban Development Group calls for radical reform of regeneration policy in their report Business Matters.

ATCM Streetscape Financing Survey Sep 2007
The ATCM is investigating the potential enhanced role of the private, voluntary & community sectors in the ongoing financing of Britain’s streetscape. They would appreciate your views in their online survey open until 21st September

Planning White Paper May 2007
The white paper Planning for a Sustainable Future is now available as a pdf file along with a press release.

Shaping and Delivering Tomorrow's Places May 2007
A new RTPI report looks at the performance of spatial planning and details good practice.

Tackling climate change: the evidence May 2007
A report, with much wider interest and application, examines the evidence for policies in the London Plan to mitigate against and adapt to climate change.

Needs Test Briefing Note May 2007
In advance of the Planning White Paper, the latest paper in the series prepared for us by the Insititute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling takes a timely look at this highly charged topic.

What's in the pipeline? May 2007
The 2007 BCSC/Lunson Mitchenall What's in the Pipeline searchable index is now available on line.

Retail Property: An Eye to the Future May 2007
An event on June 26th will look at the outcomes of BCSC's Future of Retail Property research.

BURA Awards 2007 May 2007
The BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration 2007 are open for entries until 29th June, so act fast!

Retail development in historic towns and city centres May 2007
English Historic Towns Forum are holding a conference on the why & how in Bristol on June 8th.

Knowledge Base annual update Apr 2007
This year's update to the Retail Planning Knowledge Base is now available. Including a detalied commentary, it is bigger than ever, reflecting very real debates about retail planning and the importance of the retail planning agenda. The knowledge base web links section has also been revised.

The Needs Test: Before & After studies Apr 2007
As part of the debate surrounding the needs test, IKEA have ageed to make available examples of 'before and after' studies conducted on some of their stores . See the research page for details.

A Changing Planning Agenda? Mar 2007
A presentation by Michael Bach to the Research Group gave fresh evidence of retail development trends and their implications for the success of town centres in light of recent proposals for policy change.

Ruth Kelly speech on Barker Review Feb 2007
In a speech at a recent DCLG/RTPI joint event which discussed the issues raised by the Barker Review, the Communities Secretary responded to the review's recommendation to abolish the 'needs test'.

Relocalising Shopping: Can it be done? Feb 2007
New research by the University of Southampton was presented and debated by an eminent panel at a seminar hosted by Business in the Community (BitC) on February 8th. See the event programme and the research findings.

NOTE The research was commissioned from the University of Southampton by Tesco, but conducted independently of the company, with no involvement in its design, execution or analysis. The University of Southampton retains full rights both to the intellectual property rights of the study, and to publish any findings (negative or positive to the sponsor).

Of related interest is the National Consumer Council's Food Access Radar project.

Under Served Markets event - update Jan 2007
Read a report of November's NRPF-hosted practitioner workshop, sponsored by BitC, DCLG and the LGA to gather input for a 'how-to' guide to maximising the benefits of retail-led investment in deprived areas. Programme, presentations and background materials from the day are here; the guide itself is due in the spring.

British Urban Regeneration Association Jan 2007
A list of BURA events for spring 2007 can be found here - many are of interest to retail planners.

Competition Commission inquiry Jan 2007
The Competition Commission have published their emergent thinking on their inquiry into the groceries market. See also the press release; accompanying working papers cover relevant subjects including land holding and use issues and planning issues [pdf files]

December 2006: Barker Review published
The final report of the review of Land Use Planning has been published. Key sections cover retail and town centres policy. Associated materials are here.

See also the Eddinton Transport Study; Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change and 2006 Pre-Budget Report.

December 2006: New Briefing Note: Scottish Policy
The latest in the NRPF/Insititute for Retail Studies series is available here or under Articles at the top of the page.

November 2006: Get talking - on our new blog
On our new Retail Planning Forum blog you can quickly and easily add feedback and comments, anonymously if prefered, with no registration. Your views are eagerly anticipated! See the blog here, or under Discussion on the menu bar.

August 2006: Neighbourhood Retailing Briefing Note
Another new Briefing Note is now on site, following recent notes covering Food Deserts and Clone Towns - see under Articles above or click here.

July 2006: Top 100 Shopping Centres
See extracts from the recent Retail Week survey.

July 2006: Barker Review interim report published
View it here. Our response to the earlier call for evidence for this review of land use planning can be found on this website under Articles: Hot Topics or here.

May 2006: New Knowledge Base and site changes
The Bibliography of Retail Planning has been completely revised and expanded to become the Retail Planning Knowledge Base and the website fully updated.

May 2006: Retail Planning and Competition
The Office of Fair Trading's decision to refer the grocery market for investigation by the Competition Commission cites the planning system as a major issue. See press release and report.

May 2006: Recommended reading

Three recent publications highlight regional inequalities; the impact for retail planning is worthy of consideration:

• the DCLG "State of the English Cities" report;
• the TCPA report "Connecting England" (.pdf)
• Roland Palmer's article in issue 13 of Inside Track.

March 2006: Two important reports published

The OFT's proposed referral of the grocery market to the Competition Commission focuses on the retail planning system. See press release and report here.

The All-Party Parliamentary Small Shops Group report High Street Britain: 2015 is also essential reading - click here to download (.pdf file).

February 2006: New members
A warm welcome to ASDA, The Co-Operative Group, IKEA and Westfield.

January 2006: Performance of the UK retail sector & the role for government policy

Rachel Griffith and Heike Harmgart of the Institute of Fiscal Studies/AIM presented preliminary research results to NRPF's Research Committee. View as .pdf

Retail Planning Policy: The next 10 years
See the programme and download selected presentations from our 10th anniversary conference or read the report in our Newsletter.

Retail Planning Policy: The next 10 years

We celebrated our tenth anniversary with a major conference on November 8th 2005. Delegates came from retailing and property industries, local & national government, NGOs and academia.

The event took a forward look at the issues facing retail planning including papers from Andrew Smith (Arlington Properties), Professor Cliff Guy (Cardiff University), Andy Lowe (Tesco), Tony Thompson (ODPM) and more.

Click here to see the day's programme and download selected presentations.

News September 15th 2005

August 30th 2005 - ODPM Technical Report on Retail Trends Released

A technical note “Town centres statistics indicating the broad location of retail development” was published by ODPM in July. Using ODPM Areas of Town Centre Activity combined with VOA Floorspace Data, it provides an initial analysis of the broad location of newly built retail property for England since 1971.

The report is available on the ODPM website in .pdf format.

Latest NRPF Newsletter Available to Download.

The September Newsletter is now available. As well as some provocative articles on the current state of retail planning, this expanded 10th anniversary edition also takes a look back at what’s changed since the creation of the NRPF. You can download the latest issue here (177k .pdf)

August 5th 2005 - Planning For Town Centres, Planning Policy Statement 6 issued by ODPM.

Published as a draft in December 2003, the new guidance released in April 2005 puts in place a crucial piece of the planning jigsaw. The 3 supporting "daughter documents" on; The Sequential Test, Need and Impact, and Smaller Centres are to follow later this year.

The new guidance is available at
http://www.odpm.gov.uk/planningpolicystatements
the guidance applies to England only.

News - 30th May 2005

Unique resource on retail planning matters – 2005 update now on line

The latest Bibliography update, undertaken for NRPF by the Institute of Retail Studies at Stirling University, is now on line. You can download it from here. (420K, PDF Format). Started in 1999, the Bibliography – the brainchild of the late Russell Schiller – is a unique and free resource offering a comprehensive coverage of the main literature and research of substance in the field of retail planning. The Bibliography was specifically designed to bolster the information base on which retail planners – particularly those in the local authority world – could draw. There are 9 sections in the Bibliography covering amongst others; retail format, retail locations, retail planning practice as well as consumer culture and theoretical texts.

The yearly update of the bibliography also contains a “Commentary” looking at the main current issues in the field of retail planning policy. It also reviews academic and practitioner research and explores the relationships amongst retailers, planners and customers. The consistent problem of resource constraints and the ongoing lack of a research repository on which planners can draw is again highlighted in the review.

The final part of the update contains a listing of useful websites and an index of key words with which to access the Bibliography.

News - 2nd April 2005

A New Chairman of the NRPF

Chris Brearley CB was appointed at the AGM in February 2005. He replaces Paul Mcquail who has stood down after chairing NRPF for the previous 10 years. Chris Brearley retired in 2000 from DETR where he was Director General of Planning, Roads, and Local Transport. He had a long and distinguished career principally in the DoE and Cabinet Office.

News - 28th March 2005

Joint NRPF/CASA Research Appointment

A research appointment on the joint NRPF/CASA project entitled 'Dynamics of Town Centre Retailing 1971-2003' has been made.The project is aimed at updating the 1971 census of distribution coupled with an analysis of retail statistics to date, is designed to draw out retail trends over the past 30 years. It has just appointed Miles Davis a PhD student to the three year post funded by the ESRC. He is due to take up his position in April. In addition to working on the research project will be also working with the NRPF research group. The proposal is available to download in .pdf format (44K)

News - 18th March 2005

A Case Study Analysis Report on The Role and Vitality of Secondary Shopping is now available for download along with a full appendices:

Case Study Report (900K)

Appendices:

News - 01 November 2004

Secondary Shopping – time for the Cinderella image to go?

A report: The Role and Vitality of Secondary Shopping – A new Direction, published by the National Retail Planning Forum was launched today at the BCSC conference in Manchester. The report by CB Richard Ellis for NRPF is based on extensive case study and survey work, and calls for a radical re-think of current policy and practice. It sets out why secondary shopping areas are a vital part of the urban fabric, and remain important to the millions who choose to use them. The report points out that secondary shopping areas have been neglected by researchers and other analysts and policy makers; are not well understood; and have suffered as a result in their treatment by planners and other decision makers.

Paul McQuail, Chairman of NRPF said today; “Some of the retail and service businesses are in secondary areas simply because they cannot afford prime rents. Others are there because the location and the rent levels suit the niche business they are in; or because their business is essentially a local one. For any of these reasons, the secondary areas meet real business and community needs”.

Jonathan Baldock, author of the report said today; “the report highlights a real gap in the current policy framework, something that the draft PPS 6 should address if secondary shopping areas are to get the attention they deserve”.

Andrew Smith, Managing Director of Research & Strategic Services at Arlington who chaired the steering group said today; “This report is the first comprehensive attempt to understand the issues and dynamics from a planners perspective and to identify practical measures”.

Specific findings on secondary shopping areas include;

• lack of specific planning for their need; often the unidentified or uncoordinated residual effect of planning and investment in the central business district;
• concentration of marginal activity leading to lack of investment by owners and occupiers and thus to a spiral of decline;
• public realm improvements stopping at the edge of the central business district, thus forming a barrier.

The report's case studies demonstrate that secondary shopping is not dying out; but that it is vulnerable to change in character, retail mix and ownership. But these are inevitable and must be recognised as such by planners, investors and occupiers if they are to be managed effectively. Sometimes, regeneration will mean reduction of traditional retail activities, and substitution of other uses. This will require sensitive management.

By commissioning this work, the National Retail Planning Forum and the research sponsors have sought to improve the understanding of all concerned about secondary shopping areas; and to make practical proposals for action to realise their potential - to the benefit of businesses, customers, and towns as a whole.

The report was made possible with financial support from the British Council of Shopping Centres Educational Trust, Marks and Spencer, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Further copies of the report can be obtained from; George Nicholson, NRPF, 6 Copperfield Street, London SE1, Tel/Fax: 020 7633 0903 email; Gnicho6499@aol.com

Price including p&p £25.00

A Summary of the study and main recommendations can be viewed in Acrobat PDF format.

Further comment and queries on the report study;
Jonathan Baldock,
Elizabeth Mason,
Planning,
CBRE,
Kingsley House,
Wimpole Street,
London W1G 0RE

Tel: 020 7182 2125

News - 15th October 2004

As you may of noticed, we have a new look. The new website is now live along with a number of new and regular features. This months Hot Topic is entitled Planner Where art Thou?, providing a number of discussion points such as -

"The retail planning system is at something of a crossroads. Retail planning has often been perceived to be slow, reactive and only interested in saying no through development control. Much ‘policy’ is developed through one-off case battles and subsequent ‘clarifications’. Does the practice of retail planning live up to what might be expected or is needed? "

If you have any thoughts or comments on our Hot Topic, or any other matter relating to the world of retail then join us in the Discussion Forum for a lively discussion on the latest issues.

June 2004

Shopping in the City is a one-day conference exploring issues of design, planning and the future of urban retail, tackling the key questions in this crucial and expanding sector. Unrivalled representation of the parties involved in this key area and an exciting line-up of case studies will help you get to grips with the future, positioning you at the forefront of in-town retail planning and design.

Taking place on June 30th at the RSA, London WC2 you can find full details on the Shopping and City site.

April 2004

The latest edition of the NRPF newsletter is now online, you can find it here.

The website is currently under going a revamp to add new monthly articles and a discussion forum. Our new look will come on stream in the next couple of months, in the mean time if you would like to comment or suggest any ideas for articles or features please email andy@plannet.co.uk

Finally, an updated version of the Bibilography is also in progress this will go live with the new site.

March 2004

Introduction to the Scoping Paper by Templeton College Oxford on Linked Trips and the Vitality and Viability of Centres of Retail Activity.

The NRPF's Research Committee seeks to encourage research into retailing and has focused on 5 areas:
- Accessibility
- Bibliography of Retail Research
- Secondary Shopping
- Retailing/Leisure
- Retail Statistics.

Now the NRPF wishes to promote research to determine the extent of "linked" or multi-purpose trips when people travel to a shop in a particular type location and whether such additional activities undertaken during that visit have an effect on the vitality and viability of town centres.

The term "linked trips" is referred to in a number of UK government documents, most notably in Planning Policy Guidance note 6 (PPG6), and is often an issue at public inquiries into retail developments in edge of centre locations. However, whilst there is an acceptance that "linked trips" are 'good' for the vitality and viability of a centre, the NRPF are concerned that not only does the term seem to have a number of different interpretations but also that the research to support the view is not well known, even if it does exist.

We have found it useful to commence the research process by commissioning a Scoping Paper setting out what is known - both in theory and in practice - and advising on what now needs to be researched and/or disseminated. The paper from Templeton College Oxford, together with the original briefing document, is intended to stimulate research. A key section in the Scoping Paper reveals there are a variety of definitions of "linked trips" which means that care has to be taken in interpreting research. Then following an overview of work by researchers and practitioners the paper sets out a Gap Analysis with recommendations for an approach to further research.

It is hoped that visitors to the web site who know of other work in this field not covered by the Scoping Paper will notify NRPF, through our own secretary George Nicholson or by emailing Martin Pope, chair of the steering group.We wish to encourage interaction on this and other topics between researchers and practitioners in academic, commercial and government spheres.

You can download the scoping paper from here (559k PDF file)

January 2004

Invite to a Discussion with Katrin Sporle MSc. Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate Executive Agency.

Planning for Retail - The Role of the Inspectorate.

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,
Parliament Square, London
Friday 5th March from 9.30am to 1pm

We are to inviting participants to a session on the role the Planning Inspectorate plays in the delivery of planning decisions in respect of retail policy. Discussion will range over issues related to development control and local plan inquiries as well as look forward to the emerging new planning framework currently going through Parliament.

This is an opportunity to have a frank exchange of views under Chatham House rules on the working of the Inspectorate in its role of delivering public policy, in the context of a highly competitive sector of the UK economy. There have been a number of recent high profile planning inquiry decisions that have raised issues with respect to interpretation of national policy. Recent experience too, with new style local plan inquiries points to the need for further discussion.

Numbers are limited in order that a high quality debate can be held, please fill out our simple Fax Back form if you would like to attend (11k PDF file).

Yours sincerely,

GEORGE NICHOLSON,
Secretary,
18th January 2004.

November 2003

Secondary Shopping research project

The initial findings of Secondary Shopping research project were presented to the BCSC Annual Conference in Birmingham on November 6th by Jonathan Baldock of CBRE. The presentation sparked a lot of interest and was followed by a workshop session headed by Andrew Smith of Aberdeen Investors. The project is due for completion in March 2004, the presentation can be viewed online here.

New web resource helps planners find the right data - Now Online

Retail planners and developers now have access to a comprehensive online catalogue of relevant data. The NRPF, working with the Society of Property Researchers (SPR) (http://www.sprweb.co.uk), strategic data consultancy Geofutures (http://www.geofutures.com) and site designers Estates Today (http://www.estatestoday.co.uk), now offer an online resource listing the vast and varied digital datasets currently available.

The metadata - information about the data, its format, provenance and location - will be available in a clear web format, offering users straightforward search facilities to help them locate the dataset they need. Both private sector retail location planners and their public sector counterparts are expected to find the new tool a valuable resource.

The web catalogue, which offers NRPF members keyword links to data specially relevant to them, can be accessed here.

The Planning System: Change and the Retail Sector

Revolutions in the planning system used to come once in a generation: the Town and Country Planning Act 1947, laid the foundations of the system and established Development Plans; the 1968 Act created Structure Plans to be more strategic; and the 1991 Act magnified the importance of the plans by introducing the plan-based presumption. Slow progress with plan preparation and a new impatience in styles of government has quickened the pace: only ten years were required to bring forward the latest revolution.

The retail sector now has the chance, if it has the will, to influence the planning agenda more constructively than in the past. This note argues that the key level is regional. It reports some early engagement with regional planning bodies in preparing what will be the basis of new regional strategies. Among other things, that experience underlines the importance, for local government, the retail sector, customers and citizens of accessibility; and hence of integrating transport issues into planning from its earliest stage.

The Green Paper of December 2001 with the inventive Lord Falconer as its presiding genius started from a damaging critique of the existing planning system and its working: complex, slow, inconsistent, costly in resources of people and money; and failing to engage communities or provide good service.

The remedy proposed was to replace the existing Unitary, Structure and Local Plans with Local Development Frameworks (LDF) supported by detailed action plans which might be thematic or spatial. Non-statutory Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) would be replaced by statutory Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS). Fundamental change was promised in development control; all national planning policies were to be reviewed, with PPG6 on Town Centres and Retail Development picked out for early attention; and a range of other supporting proposals set out. Public participation in the planning process was to be improved at all stages and plan-making and decisions to be speeded up. All this was to be achieved to a tight timetable, backed up with a commitment and some resources and other encouragement for local authorities to ensure delivery of the targets.

A striking feature of the Green Paper was the number of references to "business" and its requirements and the need for a response from the planning system, a point picked up by the House of Commons Select Committee. The Government response vigorously disputed any inference to be drawn from this, asserting that the "planning system should not be subservient to the interests of any single interest group". However, a key proposal was, and remains, that RSS must be prepared by regional planning bodies not composed solely of local authority members but "representative of key regional interests", subject to safeguard against conflict of interest.

However the Government have demonstrated their confidence, and the importance they attach to the proposals, by pressing forward in the current Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill with the main features of the scheme, even making this the first example of carrying a Bill forward from one session of Parliament to another. There is every reason to think that the proposals continue to be well supported at the highest levels of Government.

Much comment has accepted the broad thrust of criticism of the existing system and its working; but major themes of concern have been that the proposals increased the distance between local people and the planning process; and that the proposals for increasing resources committed to the system (in quantity, range of skills and quality) are unconvincing.

The government are no doubt right in asserting that what is demanded is a change in culture if planning is to be brought back to the core of local government's agenda; if the skills and morale of the planning profession is to be restored; and if communities are to be better engaged in the aims and delivery of the system. These are large tasks:the survey conducted for the LGA found 80% of local authorities hampered in their planning functions by staff shortages; 87% by problems of recruitment and retention. Almost 70% required additional training and support for officers, and almost 80% for members. These figures are unlikely to surprise people concerned with retail planning, and for retail and other specialisms the picture would no doubt be worse. The bare figures certainly demonstrate the scale of the task of lifting importance while at the same time carrying through the revolution required by the new raft of proposals. Local authorities will need all the help they can get.

What are the opportunities for the retail sector to play its part in taking forward reforms to the planning system? The obvious starting point, as before, will be PPG6. Consultation on the revision of PPG is promised for late 2003; but the "clarification" of existing guidance issued in April strongly indicates that scope for change is likely to be limited. On that front, therefore, the struggle will be within familiar boundaries; though it will be important to build on recent ministerial emphasis on the positive rather than restrictive intentions which they claim for town centre policy. But it will still be the case that by no means all the planning issues of concern to the retail sector and its customers are dealt with by PPG6. The fact that retail sales outside out of towns is approaching 50% of the whole, and continuing to grow, illustrates that. A further specific proposal of special concern will be the review of section 106 agreements.

Less predictable but in the long run probably more fundamental for the retail as for other sectors will be the working through of the Regional Spatial Strategies and the Local Development Frameworks. It is the regional level that may offer the greatest scope for policies reflecting the economic and social importance of retailing. Experience to date of RPG and of the Regional Economic Strategies (RES) of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in tackling retail issues has been frankly dismal. In spite of the economic importance of retailing in every region - overall one in ten of the workforce is employed in retailing - not a single RES has anything to say about retail. Almost the same has been true of RSG over the years: what appears there is typically either a repetition of central government guidance or so bland as to be of no help. So it is no comfort for the retail sector to be assured that the two sets of strategic documents will in future be better integrated: the latest guidance says that "the RSS should provide the longer term planning framework for RDA strategies." The first task is simply to ensure that retailing gets the attention it deserves in both sets of documents.

But what should the strategies say? The economic strategies will no doubt go beyond physical planning into issues of education, training, recruitment, cross-sectoral links and so on. The first challenge for RSS will be to overcome the most serious faults of RSG in the past: blandness, compromise, failure to face hard choices, or even to acknowledge that there is a hard choice to be made. This goes back to the composition of the planning bodies, made up of committees of local planning authorities with different, often competing interests. It will be hard but not impossibly for the new planning bodies, even augmented by interests beyond local government, to avoid this disease. But the opportunity is there to respond to the Minister's encouragement, in a speech at the Retail Week Property Forum to the retail sector to participate in "developing the vision, strategy and key policies in the new plans".

The importance of dealing in policies, not just vision and strategy, was underlined in a collaborative exercise which the National Retail Planning Forum (NRPF) undertook this year in collaboration with the East of England Local Government Conference in the course of working up revised Regional Planning Guidance, looking forward to the move to RSS much in mind. An important contribution was made by a retailer member of NRPF (Tesco in this case) drawing on the intelligence available to a major retailer to assist in the definition and analysis of the retail planning issues of the region; linking these with transport and employment considerations. This exercise is being followed up in the course of the autumn through a national Conference organized jointly by NRPF with the LGA, with retail as one of its key themes, about how the new regional planning system should work for retail, the economy and housing. NRPF are engaged also in the formative stages of preparing a strategy for the South Eastern region.

The experience in the East of England demonstrated a practical way, and a way that was welcomed by local government colleagues, of raising the profile of retail in the process of preparation of the regional strategy. One of the reasons offered in the past for retail interests failure to engage with the planning process effectively has been the difficulty of collaboration between firms with opposing competitive interests in particular places. Inevitably, these will continue to inhibit collaboration between firms when it comes to the Local Development Frameworks (and still more local plans) where issues will often be site-specific.

Even at the level of particular project proposals, however, the new systems are likely to require attention to be paid to the context of proposals - the catchment-area - going beyond a single local authority's boundary and interests. This of course is why accessibility is so fundamental and why regional transport strategies are vital to Regional Spatial Strategies: and why the retail sector needs to engage in creative discussion at all levels of decision-making, starting with the Department for Transport, not ending with regional planning bodies - and not confining itself to (perfectly legitimate) complaints about car-parking standards.

One possibility for influencing the agenda and the process would be for retail interests to seek representation on the new regional planning bodies, and on the Boards of RDAs. But there are obvious practical limits to that and it could not be an answer in itself - though continued pressure at regional level to ensure that retail is taken as seriously by RDAs and regional planning bodies is fully justified.

More promising is to establish ways of contributing to analysis and policy development at regional level: the intelligence which firms have has much to say about how links between land-use and strategies for transport and the economy; about policies needed for the large proportion of retailing that is not in town centres and for which the model of a shopping hierarchy is out-dated and misleading; and about the definition of sub-regions and catchment areas that require individual consideration - especially where (for shopping and other purposes) they cross regional boundaries. But success in this, as in other aspects of retailing, will depend on active engagement by retail interests. No doubt the going will be easier and collaboration more fruitful in some regions than others.

Finally, two welcome initiatives: first, the establishment this year by the DTI of the Retail Strategy Group, with one of its Subgroups devoted to Planning and related property issues; and with representation from ODPM, the LGA and NRPF in addition to major retail interests. The Group's report due early in 2004 can hardly be the last word on the subject; but must signal retail moving up the planning agenda, and ways of taking it forward in the new planning regime. Also welcome and relevant is the revival of the National Planning Forum representative of central and local government and a range of outside interests, including retail and charged with producing a Charter for all concerned with the system.

Paul McQuail

September 2003

New web resource helps planners find the right data

Retail planners and developers will soon have access to a comprehensive online catalogue of relevant data. The NRPF is working with the Society of Property Researchers (SPR) and strategic data consultancy Geofutures Ltd to offer an online resource listing the vast and varied digital datasets currently available.

The metadata - information about the data, its format, provenance and location - will be available in a clear web format, offering users straightforward search facilities to help them locate the dataset they need. Both private sector retail location planners and their public sector counterparts are expected to find the new tool a valuable resource.

The web catalogue, which will offer NRPF members keyword links to data specially relevant to them, is being user tested prior to an official launch. Members interested in viewing the test site can access it at http://www.estatestoday.co.uk/spr.

May 2003

Wanted Researchers Looking for Projects in Retail Planning

The current priorities of the NRPF research programme do not allow a start to be made on the follow-up to the Sequential Testing research. We are keen to find university departments or consultants who could take on this particular part of the programme. The research paper 'A Sequential Approach to Retail Development: Follow up Research' (143k) will help out with ideas.

Part of the brief would be to raise the necessary funding. For more details please contact; Geoff Steeley, Chairman of the NRPF Research Group.

Secondary Shopping Research Project

The secondary Shopping Research project is now underway. The project is being undertaken by Jonathan Baldock CB Hillier Parker. Publication and launch of the research is set for November this year. Funding has come from BCSC Education Trust, ODPM and M&S.

Now available

"Trading Places" a joint publication by NRPF and TCPA was published on May 1st. It is a collection of articles by Professor Cliff Guy with a foreward by Russell Schiller and costs £5.00 it is available from the publications page.

March 2003

The latest Newsletter (issue 7) is now online in Adobe Acrobat format as well as an udated version of the Planners Bookshelf.

Coming Soon

Will shortly be publishing shortly a pamphlet titled "Trading Places". A joint publication with TCPA it contains 16 Articles that have appeared over the
past 4 years on retail trends and planning for retail by Professor Cliff Guy
of Cardiff University. It has a foreword by Dr Russell Schiller. More details will be announced on this page soon.

February 2003

Going to Town- improving town centre access by Llewelyn Davies, part of ongoing work by NRPF on accessibility issues is now available in Acrobat format from our Publication Page.

The revised Bibliography and Commentary 2002 is also now available from our Bibliography Page.