CENTRAL LEICESTERSHIRE RETAIL STUDY
Undertaken
by CgMs on behalf of:
Leicester City Council, Leicestershire
County Council, Harborough District Council, Blaby District Council, Charnwood Borough Council, Hinckley
and Bosworth Borough Council and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council
The
Central Leicestershire Retail Study (CLRS) involves an assessment of retail facilities within Central
Leicestershire. It is intended to update work previously undertaken by Chesterton Consulting in 1993,
which led to the publication of the Central Leicestershire Retail Strategy in 1997.
The
principal objectives
of the CLRS are:
- To provide a revision of the estimates
of comparison and convenience retail floorspace required in Central Leicestershire for the periods 2001
to 2006 and 2006 to 2011
- To revise the boundary of
the Study Area to make the Central Leicestershire Retail Area co-terminous with the Central Leicestershire
Policy Area (CLPA) in the Deposit Draft Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan (the 'Structure
Plan Review')
- To inform the Structure Plan Review, the
City of Leicester Local Plan and other strategic and local plans
These
three principal objectives are supplemented by ten further, more detailed objectives:
- An
assessment of the demographic changes in the Study Area which have occurred since the previous study
and the changes which have come about because of the boundary of the 'Central Leicestershire Retail
Area' being co-terminus with the 'Central Leicestershire Policy Area';
- The
assessment of a retail hierarchy for the principal centres in the Study Area, an assessment of the role
of each and its capacity to accommodate further development if required;
- An
assessment of shopping behaviour and changes in this behaviour since the CLRS;
- A
brief assessment of the changes in Central Government policy since the CLRS;
- An
assessment of commercial considerations which affect patterns of trading;
- An
assessment of need for additional comparison and convenience floorspace. The assessment of convenience
need should take into account qualitative need and discount food stores;
- An
assessment of whether Leicester City's share of any additional comparison retail floorspace requirement
should be as high as 75%;
- An assessment of the likely
improvements in the efficiency of existing retail floorspace;
- An
assessment of whether a downward revision is required in the proportion of retail need to be met through
retail warehousing, in the light of the PPG6 guidance on the promotion of town centres;
- An assessment of the need for further DIY retail warehouse floorspace
and emerging forms of retailing such as trade counters, warehouse clubs and factory outlets;
The
Main Report can be purchased from Leicestershire County Council for £75 and each of the three appendices
for £50 each. To obtain a copy please send a cheque payable to Leicestershire County Council to Dale
Blockley, G49 Chief Executives Dept, Leicestershire County Council, County Hall, Leicester, LE3 8RA
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