NM23: Local Shops
Proposed Policy NM23: Local Shops
The Neighbourhood Plan identifies the following local shopping frontages and dispersed local shops as shown on the Policies Map as follows:
- Ashley Parade
- Bashley (post office, shop and garage)
- Bashley Local shop (Holiday Park)
- Beechwood Avenue (local shop)
- Ferndale Road.
- Lymington Road Supermarket
- Marine Drive Local Shops & Cafes
- Naish Local Shop (Holiday Park)
- Old Milton Parade
- Station Road (local supermarket)
- Winston Parade
- Sea Road (local supermarket)
- In each location, proposals comprising of Class E, or any other everyday community need, will be supported in principle where it complies with §97 of the NPPF.
- Proposals defined in Clause A may be delivered as ground floor units in a scheme with housing on upper floors if designed to manage any potential for conflicts in amenity between those uses.
- Proposals that will result in the partial or total loss of a local shopping frontage or dispersed local shop will be resisted unless it can be clearly demonstrated that:
- all reasonable efforts have been made to market the premises for its existing use and no other potential occupier can be found;
- all reasonable efforts have been made to improve the operation and management of the business or facility;
- the land is no longer a suitable location for a retail uses and suitable alternative shops exist to meet the needs of the local community
Supporting Text
This policy is intended to protect the essential local shopping and service facilities outside of the town centre, across the parish. The NMNP has identified that there are a number of existing local shops around the parish which play a play a vital role in providing the local communities with convenience and local services that reduce their dependence on travelling further afield, being within walking distance for many of the outlying parts of the parish. As such, this policy will seek to safeguard these local shops from change of use where planning permission is required by identifying the importance of their existing use (Class E and/or community uses) to prevent their loss to other uses.
Whilst the Local Plan Policy ECON6 designates three areas of Local Shopping Frontages, two along the A337 Lymington Road (Winston Parade) and the parade at Ashley, this policy replaces the provisions of this ECON6 following the implementation of the new Use Class Order which consolidated a number of uses into a new Class E (commercial, business and service) uses and the impact from shops changing into ground floor residential uses in these locations. It also provides further local definition to ECON6 by increasing the number of local shopping frontages and dispersed local shops identified.
It is recognised that some changes of use do not now require planning permission and new permitted development rights has enabled changes of use from what are now Class E uses to residential uses. The Town Council will monitor the loss of such uses to residential uses in partnership with NFDC. Should monitoring indicate that such uses are being lost to residential uses at a rate that harms the ability of the local communities’ day-to-day needs being met the Town Council will discuss the opportunity of NFDC initiating an Article 4 Direction application with the Secretary of State. An Article 4 Direction can remove permitted development rights, enabling such changes to remain in planning control.
In relation to Clause A, in accordance with §97 of the National Planning Policy Framework Local planning authorities should refuse applications for hot food takeaways and fast food outlets within walking distance of within walking distance of schools and other places where children and young people congregate or in locations where there is evidence that a concentration of such uses is having an adverse impact on local health, pollution or anti-social-behaviour.