Retail and town centre planning advice provides specialist support for proposals involving retail, leisure, food and beverage, hotel, commercial, mixed-use and other main town centre uses. This advice can be provided at any stage of a project, from early site appraisal and pre-application discussions through to planning submission, determination, appeal or post-permission strategy.

The advice typically considers the relevant national and local planning policy context, the role and function of nearby centres, the sequential approach, potential retail or leisure impacts, need and capacity, frontage policies, change of use issues and other town centre planning considerations. It can help clients understand planning risks, identify the evidence required and shape a clear strategy for progressing a proposal.

Retail and town centre planning advice can be useful for landowners, developers, operators, local authorities, planning consultants, architects and other professional teams who require focused input on specialist retail or town centre planning matters.

Retail and town centre planning advice may include, in summary, the following:

• Early-stage site appraisal and planning strategy advice;
• Review of national and local retail planning policy requirements;
• Advice on main town centre uses and the sequential approach;
• Advice on whether a sequential test, impact assessment or need assessment may be required;
• Review of retail, leisure, hotel, food and beverage or mixed-use proposals;
• Advice on change of use, frontage policies and town centre designations;
• Input into pre-application submissions, planning statements and appeal strategies;
• Review of third-party comments, consultee responses or officer concerns;
• Support with requests for further information or amended evidence; and
• Commercially focused advice on planning risks, opportunities and next steps.

Retail, leisure and town centre planning policy can be complex, particularly where proposals are located outside defined centres, involve changes to retail floorspace, affect protected frontages or raise questions about impact, need, capacity or the sequential approach. Early specialist advice can help identify these issues before they become significant risks to a planning application or development strategy.

Planning advice may be required where a client is considering acquiring a site, promoting land for development, preparing an application, responding to local authority comments, reviewing a planning refusal or assessing the prospects of an appeal. It can also assist where a proposal falls within a town centre, edge-of-centre or out-of-centre location and requires careful consideration of the relevant planning policy tests.

Mark Alexander Planning provides clear, proportionate and commercially aware retail and town centre planning advice tailored to the needs of each project. Our advice helps clients understand the planning position, identify evidence requirements, respond to policy issues and make informed decisions about how best to progress their proposal.