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3.0 EMSWORTH DISTRICT CENTRE
3.1 Emsworth is an historic centre which
owes its existence to the establishment of the fishing port and its
related boat building industry. Since the turn of the
20th century the importance of Emsworth as a fishing
port has declined but its importance as a popular port of call with
yachtsmen, artists and naturalists as well as tourist visitors, has
increased. Nevertheless it has retained its role as a
shopping centre serving the daily requirements of the wider
settlement of Emsworth including the immediately adjoining parishes
in West Sussex.
3.2 The shopping centre is defined as a
district centre in Policy TC1 – Hierarchy of Centres in the Havant
Borough District Wide Local Plan.(HBDWLP)
The greatest concentration of units is now to be found south of the
A259 along the High Street and around St Peter's Square where
the primary frontages are located. The centre's only
supermarket is a Co-op store and this is situated south of the
A259 in North Street. Most of the retail outlets in the
centre are occupied by local independent traders offering a range
of convenience and comparison shopping. In total the district
centre contains 92 units with a gross floorspace of 8,846 sq m
(95,183 sq ft). Convenience retailers occupy 13% of all units
and comparison retailers 43.5%. Service and vacant units
comprise the remaining 43.5%. All retail
categories are represented, with the exception of retailers selling
footwear, sports, toys, hobbies and jewellery.
Non-Food Market Share
3.3 Emsworth's non-food market share has
remained fairly static over recent years. In 1999 it was
measured at 1.5% with a trade draw from its local catchment of
17.8%. In 2001 market share stood at 1.9% with a trade draw
of 21.5% and when the last survey was undertaken in 2003 market
share was 1.6% and a trade draw of 17.6%. Emsworth retains a
loyal customer base which use the centre for comparison shopping as
most goods can be purchased there with the exception of those
mentioned in para 3.2. This is not expected to change despite
new retail development on the edge of Havant Town Centre. It
will only be possible to increase the centre's market share of
expenditure generated locally if space can be provided for new
retail development. However this is unlikely to happen as a
centre is constrained by its historic street pattern and historic
urban form.
Retail Representation
3.4 The primary shopping frontages are
located along High Street and around St Peter's
Square. There are two small secondary frontages adjoining the
primary frontage in High Street.
3.5 The majority of shops in
North Street are defined as secondary. There are two
tertiary locations in this centre but they are not surveyed for
monitoring purposes.
3.6 Since the 2003 survey was carried out
a slight fall in Class A1 retail representation has occurred
as a proportion of the total number of units, within the
primary frontages. In 2003 64% of all units were classified
as Class A1, but by 2006 this had fallen to 60%.
However the actual number of outlets in the primary frontage
has increased as a result of refurbishment/sub-division and
there are now 43 units classified as Class A1 as opposed to 39 in
2003. Class A1 representation along the secondary
frontages has also fallen by three units and now stands at 59%
as opposed to 66% in 2003. Despite the fall in Class A1
representation within the primary frontages the 2006 levels are
within the HBDWLP
monitoring target to maintain a threshold of 60% representation in
primary areas and 40% in secondary.
3.7 Retail representation, by trade
category for the centre as a whole, shows convenience retailers
over-represented compared with the UK average. However, when
convenience representation is examined by floorspace, it mirrors
the UK average due to the small size of shop units. For
comparison shops Emsworth falls below the UK average of 56% with a
centre profile of only 43%. The floorspace profile is worse
with comparison shops occupying only 33% of the floorspace compared
with the UK average of 57%. The disparity is also due to the
small size of shops in the centre. As has been pointed out in
para 3.2 there are some trades not represented and this was partly
accounted for by the low unit and floorspace profile. A
further reason for this is the presence of a high number of
catering uses and estate agents which have taken space formerly
occupied by Class A1 retailers. However the high number of
non-retail uses has not dented the centre's rating as a good place
to shop and visit.
Proportion of Vacant Shops/Units
3.8 The vacancy rate data included
in this report has been obtained from a field survey conducted on
12 July 2006. This survey showed five units vacant out of 92
representing a 5% vacancy rate. At the time the survey was
undertaken the UK average stood at 10% and therefore Emsworth can
be considered an out-performing centre in comparison to other
centres in the UK and therefore meets the HBDWLP
monitoring target for vacancy level profiles to match or beat the
UK average.
Public Perception Rating Scores 2001
and 2003
|
Indicator
|
2003
Score
|
2001
Score
|
% Change
+ or -
|
|
Range of shops - food
|
57.1
|
36.5
|
+ 56.4%
|
|
Range of shops - non-food
|
22.9
|
18.0
|
+ 27.2%
|
|
Total Combined
|
80.0
|
54.5
|
+ 46.7%
|
3.9 The table above shows that the
public's perception of food and non-food shopping facilities
increased overall by 46%. This large increase is mainly
attributable to a big improvement in the food rating of 56%.
There is no obvious reason for the improvement as in fact the
number of food shops declined from 14 to 12 between 2001 and
2003. However the unit count profile for food shop
representation exceeds the UK national average and many of the
small food shops are independently owned and therefore offer a more
personal service. It remains the best rated centre in the
Borough for its general shopping environment and range of
facilities available. It is also rated the best centre in the
Borough for its appearance and character. This is mainly due
to the large number of old and listed buildings located around
St Peter's Square and along the High Street.
Pedestrian Flows
3.10 The 2006 pedestrian
flow count was undertaken on Friday 4 August and Saturday 5 August
between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Counts were undertaken at five
locations within the centre. The weather on Friday was cloudy
but warm. On Saturday the weather was warm and sunny.
The total weekly equivalent number (WEN) for all locations
amounted to 46,215 persons, a slight increase on the 2003 figure (+
0.8%) which stood at 45,827. The highest pedestrian flows
were recorded outside 15 High Street (Nat West Bank) and the lowest
at 17 North Street (Tesco Express). There was a recorded fall
of 16% outside NatWest Bank and this figure therefore contravenes
the HBDWLP monitoring target for an increase in footfall at the
100% pitch.
Rents
3.11 The average rent for
premises situated along the 100% pitch (along the High Street where
the highest pedestrian flows are recorded) is £269 per sq m.
The rents have increased from £237 per sq m in 2003 to £269 per sq
m. This represents a 14% rise in rents between 2003 and 2006
and is in line with the increases measured for some of the other
indicators included in this report. The increase meets the
HBDWLP
monitoring target for Zone A rents to be maintained or increased
along the primary frontages.