8. Town and District Centres
Primary and Secondary Frontages
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requires local planning authorities to define the extent of primary and secondary frontages within town centres and set policies to make clear which uses will be permitted in such locations.
Healthy shopping centres rely on control over the number and location of non-retail premises within the main shopping area. The success of any particular centre is dependent, at least in part, upon retaining a reasonably close grouping of shops selling a wide range of products. This allows customers to fulfil the majority of their shopping needs in one trip, as well as providing the opportunity for comparing the price and availability of less frequently purchased goods. The existence of non-retail businesses in primary shopping areas can inhibit these activities by reducing the range of shops, and thereby potentially reducing the number of people visiting the centre, as well as making the centre less compact and therefore less convenient. However town centres perform a greater function than just retail centres. They are hubs of the community and encompass cultural, leisure, arts and heritage uses that in turn support the tourism industry. Therefore in line with the strategy for the town centres outlined earlier it is considered appropriate to provide a generous secondary frontage in the coastal town centres in order to maintain and support this trend.
Policy E04 – Primary and Secondary Frontages
Primary and Secondary Frontages are defined for Westwood, Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs.
Click here to view the Broadstairs Primary Frontages on the map
Click here to view the Broadstairs Secondary Frontages on the map
Click here to view the Margate Primary Frontages on the map
Click here to view the Margate Secondary Frontages on the map
Click here to view the Ramsgate Primary frontages on the map
Click here to view the Ramsgate Secondary Frontages on the map
Click here to view the Westwood Primary Frontages on the map
Click here to view the Westwood Secondary Frontages on the map
Within the Primary Frontages the following development will be permitted:
- Use Classes falling within A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5. (see glossary – Appendix D);
- residential and other main town centre uses will be permitted above ground floor level only.
Within the Secondary Frontages the uses referred to in the preceding clauses will be permitted at ground and upper floor level where this would not fragment or erode the active frontages to a degree that would undermine the function of the centre.
Sequential and Impact Test
Sequential and Impact Test
Local planning authorities are required by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to apply a sequential test to planning applications for main town centre uses that are not in an existing centre and are not in accordance with an up to date Local Plan. Applications for main town centre uses should be located in town centres, then in edge of centre locations and only if suitable sites are not available should out of centre sites be considered. When considering edge of centre and out of centre proposals, preference should be given to accessible sites that are well connected to the town centre. Applicants and local planning authorities should demonstrate flexibility on issues such as format and scale.
The NPPF requires that town centre development takes place on sites within designated town centres and only where there are no suitable, viable or available sites. Should edge of centre or out of centre locations be considered, the reasons for rejecting more central sites should be clearly explained.
This sequential approach should not be applied to applications for small scale rural offices or other small scale rural development.
The NPPF also requires that applications for town centre development outside of the defined town centres above a certain threshold are accompanied by an impact test in order to assess the impact on vitality and viability of the town centres. The thresholds for Thanet are set out in policy below.
Policy E05 – Sequential and Impact Test
Proposals for main town centre uses should be located within the designated town centres of Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Westwood, as shown on the policies map. Where this is not possible due to size, format and layout town centre uses should be located on the edge of town centres or on employment land designated for flexible uses. Outside these defined centres applicants should demonstrate that there is no sequentially preferable location within the catchment of the proposed development.
Applications for development above the following thresholds outside town centres should be accompanied by an impact assessment:
- Urban area* - 1,000 square metres
- Rural area* - 400 square metres.
The impact assessment should include:
- the impact of the proposal on existing, committed and planned public and private investment in a town centre or town centres in the catchment area of the proposal; and
- the impact of the proposal on town centre vitality and viability, including local consumer choice and trade in the town centre and wider area, up to five years from the time the application is made. For major schemes where the full impact will not be realised in five years, the impact should also be assessed up to ten years from the time the application is made.
Applicants should demonstrate flexibility on issues such as format and scale and will be expected to provide the Council with robust evidence of this.
Where an application fails to satisfy the sequential test or is likely to have an adverse impact on one or more of the above factors, it will be refused.
*As defined by the Boundary of Urban Area (SP24) on the Policies Map. The Villages are in the rural area.
District and Local Centres
District and Local Centres perform an important role in the retail hierarchy catering for basket and top up shopping located in sustainable locations often walkable from residential areas. Developments in local parades and centres should primarily serve the community within which they are located with catchment areas of not more than 800 metres.
Thanet's District Centres consist of Cliftonville, Birchington, Westgate and Minster. There are number of smaller local centres throughout the district.
The important function of District and Local Centres, particularly the services they provide for the elderly and infirm should not be compromised by an overconcentration of residential accommodation.
Policy E06 – District and Local Centres
Proposals for additional shopping provision at traditional District Centres (as defined on the Policies Map) and Local Centres* will be permitted where the proposals serve the local population and are of a scale appropriate to the particular centre.
Click here to view Westgate District Centre on the map
Click here to view Birchington District Centre on the map
Click here to view Minster District Centre on the map
Click here to view Cliftonville District Centre on the map
Residential accommodation will be permitted in District and Local Centres where this would not fragment or erode the active frontages of such locations to a degree that undermines the function of the centre.
*The Local Centres are located at:- (as indicated on the Policies Map)
- Minnis Road, Minnis Bay, Birchington
- Cambourne Avenue/Lymington Road, Westgate on Sea
- Canterbury Road, Garlinge
- Canterbury Road, Westbrook
- Ramsgate Road, Margate (Victoria Lights)
- Holly Lane/Northdown Road, Margate
- Summerfield Road, Palm Bay, Margate
- St Peter’s, Broadstairs
- Margate Road/Northwood Road, Ramsgate
- High Street, St Lawrence, Ramsgate
- Hereson Road, Ramsgate
- Grange Road, Ramsgate
Click here to view all the Policy E06 locations on the map