Retail Hierarchy and Development

The NPPF states that planning policies should define a network and hierarchy of town centres and promote their long-term vitality and viability; define the extent of town centres and primary shopping areas and set policies which make clear which uses will be permitted in such locations.

The retail and leisure sector is undergoing a period of unprecedented change particularly affected by the continued rise of online shopping and home delivery.  Town centres are having to evolve to become more than simply a place to shop, presenting themselves as multi-purpose destinations and increasingly places for culture and leisure.

A key aspect of sustainable communities is good access to shops and other local services which help meet the day-to-day needs of local communities. It is therefore important that both new and existing communities have easy access to facilities to reduce the need to travel and to maintain vibrant and viable centres. Local shopping is also important as it provides options for active travel.

Within Bath and North East Somerset there are a number of centres that serve different roles. Bath City Centre acts as a sub-regional shopping and employment centre and is a major visitor destination; Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Radstock Town Centres serve the residents of the respective towns and the surrounding catchment areas, Moorland Road District Centre acts as a key centre for the south west of Bath, and the local centres primarily serve local needs within the urban and rural parts of the district. The city centre and town centres have Primary Shopping Areas designated which are the focus for new retail development.

The purpose of designating centres and defining their boundaries is to ensure their successful future functioning as the economic, social and cultural focal points of communities, maintaining and improving their vitality and viability and enabling a compatible mix of uses within them.

The NPPF states that planning policies should define the extent of Primary Shopping Areas and defines a Primary Shopping Area as an area where retail development is concentrated. The Primary Shopping Area boundary also forms the boundary for applying the sequential test (town centre first) policy for retail proposals.

The Primary Shopping Area will be the main focus, particularly at ground level, for active uses that attract pedestrians to the centre such as shops and restaurants (refer to the policy option relating to Development within Bath and North East Somerset’s town, district and local centres below).  The area outside the Primary Shopping Areas, but within Bath City Centre and the town centres, are proposed for a wider diversity of main town centre uses including for example offices, hotels, leisure uses.   Having regard to this, we proposed in the 2024 Options Document that there are locations in Bath where the Primary Shopping Area should be extended to maintain and provide active frontages. In particular, within Bath City Centre along Walcot Street which has a specialist retail role, supplementing the city centre retail offer; and along James Street West, Bath which was identified as a location to extend the retail, food and drink offer within the city centre, and contribute to the vitality and viability of the city centre. We also noted that other changes to Primary Shopping Areas may come forward and be included in the Draft Local Plan.   Having regard to public realm works in Midsomer Norton at the Island and a new market square replacing the former car park, we are now proposing that the Primary Shopping Area designation within Midsomer Norton Town Centre incorporates the retail frontage at The Island.

The approach is to retain the retail hierarchy policy as set out in the Core Strategy policy CP12, however, adapt it to ensure the ‘Development in Centres’ policy makes clear which uses will be permitted in such locations.

Bath City Centre should remain the principal sub-regional centre and the three existing town centres – Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and Radstock – should continue to be designated as town centres in the local plan.

In the 2024 options document some changes were proposed to the Primary Shopping Areas within Bath City Centre and local centres subject to consultation. We are not consulting on these changes again in this document. As set out above we are now proposing to extend the Primary Shopping Area for Midsomer Norton Town Centre to include “The Island” active frontages i.e. the area incorporating the new market square.

Other locations outside Primary Shopping Areas but within Bath City Centre and Keynsham, Midsomer Norton, and Radstock Town Centres where active ground floor uses should be maintained / provided within the centres may be identified for the Draft Local Plan as extensions to Primary Shopping Areas.