RETAIL PLANNING



Retail Planning is the term given to that part of Town Planning which relates to retail development, and covers a wide spectrum of development types from a corner shop to supermarkets to retail warehouses / DIY stores, etc.

Retail Planning has emerged as a specific sub-section of the planning system in recent decades as a result of the profound effects retail development can have on urban settlements, e.g. town centres and the role of the retail industry in the economy as a whole, e.g. in terms of the numbers employed and the value of sales.

Retail proposals are increasingly being directed towards town centre locations with out-of-town and edge-of-town shopping centres  no longer being favoured by decision makers.  Furthermore, the sustainability of the sector is being analysed in much greater detail where many retail proposals now require detailed justification of a scheme’s location and scale through the provision of Retail Impact Assessments, Sequential Site Assessments, Quantitative Analysis and Qualitative Analysis.

The retail sector is also continually evolving with new retail formats emerging to take advantage of latent spending demand whilst on-line shopping is having an increasing effect on the ‘high street’.

The Planning Partnership has significant experience in the retail planning sector, having successfully delivered planning permission for numerous schemes, varying in size from stand alone shops / supermarkets to mixed use retail developments and shopping centres.  The Planning Partnership also has significant experience in planning for retail development in terms of preparing retail studies / assessment’s on behalf of local authorities and public bodies.