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1.0 SURVEY OVERVIEW
1.1 During July and August 2006, a survey of
Emsworth, Cowplain and Mengham/Gable Head District Centres was
carried out. This survey up-dated a previous survey carried
out in 2003. This report sets out the results of the survey
and the data collected is set out in tabular form at Appendices I –
IV (only available as paper copies. Please contact the
Planning Policy Team on 02392446539 to purchase a copy of the
background paper including appendices) The data in respect of Leigh
Park District Centre was extracted from an Experian Goad Centre
Report which was based on a survey undertaken by that company in
2007
1.2 Section 2 of the Paper describes the
performance indicators used in the assessments and Sections 3 – 6
examine each centre against the suite of performance indicators
described in Section 2. Conclusions are set out in Section
7.
1.3 The key findings of the survey were as
follows:-
Emsworth
Despite a drop in pedestrian flows this centre
remains the most vital and viable shopping centre in the
Borough. Class A1 representation falls within the acceptable
limits set by local plan policies, the vacancy rate is well below
the national average and rents have increased along the primary
frontages.
Cowplain
The improving signs of economic recovery
detected in 2003 have continued and this centre can now be
considered to be in a reasonable state of economic health.
The centre enjoys a zero vacancy rate and rental levels have
increased accordingly. Class A1 representation remains
low.
Mengham/Gable Head
This centre remains in a reasonable state of
health. The centre possesses excellent Class A1
representation and the vacancy rate remains below the national
average. Whilst pedestrian flows have fallen, rental levels
have risen.
Leigh Park
The 2003 survey revealed a centre in
decline. This latest survey confirms that the decline has
continued despite local initiatives aimed at reducing the long
term, high vacancy rate. Class A1 representation has fallen
as have rental levels along the primary frontages. On the
up-side pedestrian flows have increased.
2. Health Check Performance Indicators
2.1 Under the provisions of the Planning and
Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, local planning authorities are
required to submit Annual Monitoring Reports to the Secretary
of State. Among matters which the reports must cover are
performance against defined core output indicators and where
policies are not being implemented the reasons why and the measures
proposed to secure implementation. For the purposes of this
report the principal retail local plan policies that are monitored
are set out in the Monitoring and Targets Schedule of the
HBDWLP and are
as follows:
- TC1 – Hierarchy of Centres
- TC2 – Maintenance and Enhancement of
Centres
- TC8 – Changes of Use – Primary Frontages
- TC9 – Changes of Use – Secondary
Frontages
2.2 The Government specifically require
the following matters should be kept under regular review:
- the network and hierarchy of centres
- the need for further development
- the vitality and viability of centres
The network and hierarchy of centres is set
out in Policy S1 of the Hampshire County Structure Plan (Review)
and Policy TC1 of the
HBDWLP
. The
need for further development to 2006 is set out in Background
Papers Nos. 10 and 11 (Comparison and Convenience Floorspace Retail
Study 2001-2006). This report deals with the issue of
vitality and viability in respect of the Borough’s four district
centres. The centres of Havant and
Waterlooville were covered in Background Paper 2/10 November
2005.
2.3 According to para. 4.4 of
PPS
6 in order to measure the
vitality and viability of town centres and how this is changing
over time, local authorities should regularly collect information,
preferably in co-operation with the private sector. The 12
key indicators for measuring vitality and viability are set out in
para. 4.4 of
PPS
6. For reasons of
expediency and cost the Council does not monitor all the indicators
described. Nevertheless, it is considered that the 6
indicators used provide a sound basis for the town centre health
checks. The indicators are as follows:
Non-Food Market Share
Rates
2.4 The Council regularly conducts household
shopping surveys to establish shopping centre patronage rates and
general shopping habits. These surveys are also helpful in
identifying leakage of expenditure to competing centres located
outside the Borough. The range and mix of non-food shops
available within a centre are the main factors which determine a
centre’s position in the retail hierarchy. As such, it is
normal to expect shoppers buying comparison goods to use these
centres which offer the greatest choice in terms of both the ranges
of goods and national multiple retailers. Upward movement to
market share rates resulting from increased patronage by local
residents can be achieved by the introduction of new retail
floorspace designed to attract national multiple retailers.
The Council has set a target of 48.5% collective market share for
all the Borough’s town and district centres, at 2005. Havant
and Waterlooville Town Centres will contribute the lion’s share
towards that target.
Public Perception
Ratings
2.5 The household shopping surveys ask
residents to score the Borough’s centres as either good,
average or poor in relation to a series of shopping
and environmental indicators. The centres’ scores are
obtained by adding the total of percentage responses and dividing
by the number of indicators used. None of the perception
indicators are weighted to enhance importance. Five shopping
indicators are used covering the range of shops for non-food, range
of shops for food, quality of goods, the price of goods
compared with other centres and shopping centre opening
hours.
Pedestrian Footfall
2.6 Footfall surveys are useful indicators in
that they quantify how many people are in a shopping centre at any
one time. Attracting customers is the most important factor
behind the success of any shopping centre. Without shoppers
passing through the centre, occupiers are likely to move away and
this has a consequent impact on vitality and viability. The
Council has set a target to achieve an increase in the footfall in
each centre.
Vacancy Rates
2.7 Vacancy levels can give a good indication
of the overall health of a town or district centre. There may
be a number of reasons why a particular centre has an above average
vacancy rate but generally it is related to retail demand and where
vacancy levels are moving upwards this would indicate a centre in
decline. The Council have set a target to achieve vacancy
levels at the UK average or below the UK average. In January
2007 the UK unit average stood at 10%.
Class A1 Retail
Representation
2.8 People visiting town centres do
so primarily for shopping purposes and the level of attraction
depends on the number and range of Class A1 units present.
Maintaining the level of retail representation requires control
over changes of use in the primary and secondary frontages. A
target has been set to maintain a threshold of 60% representation
of Class A1 retail in primary frontages and 40% in secondary
frontages.
Rental Levels
2.9 For the purposes of assessing vitality and viability, rental
performance is also a good indicator of retail strength because it
reflects perception of a town in trading terms. This is
because retailers consider rent to reflect the margin between
turnover and operational cost, plus profit. The better the
perceived trading prospects the higher the rent a retailer will be
prepared to pay to obtain representation in a centre.
2.10 The
HBDWLP
monitoring
target is for Zone A rents to be maintained or increased within the
primary shopping frontages. The Zone A rents included in this
report relate to those primary frontages where the highest rents
have been achieved. The rental information included in this report
has been obtained from local firms of commercial surveyors who are
commissioned bi-annually to carry out Zone A rent surveys of the
principal shopping frontages for all the Borough’s centres.