Special Policy Areas

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Introduction

4.1. This chapter of the Plan includes policies for:

•  the City Centre;

•  the Town Centres of Beaumont Leys and Hamilton;

•  the Riverside.

4.2. Policies which relate specifically to the Riverside aim to protect and enhance the environmental quality of this Special Policy Area (paras. 4.49 to 4.62). Work on Leicester’s Riverside and City Challenge Area has already brought about improvements and raised the profile of the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal. However, there are still long stretches of waterway, typically bounded by old industrial areas, which represent a greatly under used resource for the City. These are targeted by projects within the LRC Masterplan, in particular in the vicinity of the Space Centre and Frog Island.

4.3. This chapter of the Plan draws together policies specific to the City Centre (paras. 4.4 to 4.42). It is hoped that it will make the plan easier to use and demonstrate the importance placed on strengthening the City Centre as a vibrant commercial area that is also an attractive place to live and visit. There are also new policies relating to the Town Centres of Beaumont Leys and Hamilton (paras. 4.43 to 4.48).

THE CITY CENTRE

4.4. Within this Local Plan the City Centre is defined as the area within the Central Commercial Zone boundary as shown on the Proposals Map. This includes the Central Shopping Core, the Central Office Core and the Central Commercial Zone.

4.5. The City Centre plays a vital role as a focus for business, shopping, leisure, cultural and social activities. It serves an extensive urban area and rural sub-region, altogether comprising an immediate population of half a million people. The future prosperity of the City Centre is important, not only for the economy of the urban area but for the entire sub-region. While retailing should underpin the City Centre at its core, it should also contain and retain a wide range of uses that need to be accessible to large numbers of people, including employment, offices, leisure and entertainment, hospitals and higher education. The quality of the City Centre should support and enhance all its functions and should continue to provide a context for future growth and development.

4.6. The quality of the City Centre is not only important for those who live and work there, but also for the image of Leicester as a whole and its ability to attract investment and visitors.

The Central Shopping Core, Central Office Core and Central Commercial Zone

4.7. The Local Plan identifies the Central Shopping Core and for the first time a Central Office Core and a wider Central Commercial Zone, which together make up the City Centre. It is an objective of the Local Plan that retail development is concentrated within the Central Shopping Core in order to ensure its organic growth. Proposals for any City Centre type retailing, where need has been demonstrated, but which cannot be accommodated in the Central Shopping Core, should be located adjoining the CentralShopping Core. This is in line with the sequential approach set out in PPS6. Appropriate general locations for additional retail development on the edge of the Central Shopping Core are also identified within Potential Development Areas and set out in Policy PS09a.

4.8. The Central Office Core is an area around London Road Station which is already a hub of high density office developments and which the LRC Masterplan has identified as the location for comprehensive office development as part of the regeneration of this area. The Central Commercial Zone is a wider band around the Shopping and Office Cores, which is still accessible by public transport (no part of the Central Commercial Zone is more than 500 metres from a major public transport route) and in which many important City Centre functions are currently located. These include major employment and teaching facilities such as De Montfort University, the Royal Infirmary and the Friar Lane and New Walk office areas. There are also many cultural and leisure developments including museums, theatres, cinemas and hotels.

4.9. The City Centre will form the first area of search in any sequential approach to locating city and sub-regional major office and leisure developments required by PPS6. More details of this approach are set out in Policy SPA05 (Development of non-retail Key City Centre uses and facilities).

4.10. For the avoidance of doubt the term City Centre, comprising the Central Shopping Core and the Central Commercial Zone, in this context is not to be taken as meaning the ‘town centre’ as used in PPS6, Annex A, Table 2.

The Central Shopping Core

4.11. The Central Shopping Core is the principal shopping area in the City Centre providing major regional shopping facilities. The distinct shopping areas comprising arcades, the prime shopping streets which radiate from the Clock Tower, the smaller specialist shops of St. Martins, and the covered shopping centres of the Shires and the Haymarket characterise the Centre. In addition the market is a unique resource worthy of retention and enhancement.

4.12. During the early to mid 1990s the Shires was extended, the Haymarket Centre has undergone refurbishment and the Haymarket Towers has been developed on the site of the former Lewis’s building, forming an impressive backdrop to the Humberstone Gate West pedestrianisation scheme. Although investment continued to be made in the Centre at a time when retailing was rapidly growing at Fosse Park, Leicester slipped out of the top ten shopping centres on the Retail Ranking Index, produced by Experian, and stands at 15th place in 2004. A 60,000 m² retail and leisure development known as Shires West was granted planning permission in 2005, reflecting confidence in Leicester and the potential to restore the position of its city centre as a shopping and leisure destination.

4.13. Much City centre improvement had already been achieved by the Council’s programme of improvements based on the earlier 1996 ‘City Centre Action Programme’, which set a framework for action by public and private sectors. Of note is the pedestrianisation and environmental improvement of Humberstone Gate and the Clock Tower; the establishment of a CCTV system and better lighting which has improved security and safety on the street; and a system of licenses has allowed the development of an increasing number of street cafes. A major improvement programme is planned for the City centre public realm during 2006 to 2008, with completion to coincide with the opening of the Shires West extension.

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4.14. Policy SPA01 seeks to sustain and increase the role of the City Centre for shopping by concentrating retail floorspace within the Central Shopping Core. The Central Leicestershire Retail Study and that commissioned by the Leicester Regeneration Company (see Chapter 8 paragraphs 8.10 – 8.11) indicate a need for a substantial amount of new floorspace for comparison goods sales by 2006 and 2011. Much of this will be in the City centre. The LRC considers that the creation of 135,000 m² of new retail and leisure floorspace is feasible up to 2016.

4.15. The ‘Retail Site Assessment for Leicester City Council’, published in March 1998, identified and assessed sites on the edge of and within easy walking distance of the Central Shopping Core, and the Shopping Cores of Beaumont Leys and Hamilton, as being suitable for retail development in accordance with the principles set out in the then PPG6, now PPS6, specifically the sequential test. If necessary, the assembly of sites to enable retail development to proceed in the City Centre will be assisted by means of compulsory purchase powers exercised by the City Council subject to an appropriate funding agreement being in place with the developer.

4.16. It is recognised that some small scale retail may be required to complement development in regeneration schemes in the LRC area where it has been identified in Area Strategy Guidance. Smaller shopping centres in the Central Commercial Zone, such as London Road, will be subject to the policies contained in Chapter 8 on Retailing and emerging development frameworks.

Other Shopping Related Uses within the Central Shopping Core

4.17. Diversity contributes to the vitality of the City Centre, particularly where it is also a contribution to the evening economy. However, the creation of concentrations of single uses may have a cumulative effect on the loss of retail outlets and will be monitored to ensure the retention of the vitality and viability of parts of the Central Shopping Core.

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4.18. The specified streets are principal shopping streets. The introduction of too many A2 uses along the street or a concentration of such uses in any one part of the street would detract from the continuity, function and appearance of the street. ‘Street frontage’ includes both sides of the street and uses on both sides of a particular street will be considered as amounting to a concentration.

4.19. Within the Central Shopping Core offices within Use Class B1, such as solicitors’ and accountancy practices which generally do not attract large numbers of visiting members of the public, will not be acceptable along the ground floor retail frontage but may be acceptable on the upper floors. The imposition of conditions on a planning permission restricting the use to offices (within Class B1(a)) only may be necessary where the introduction of industrial or research and development uses may be inappropriate.

4.20. In recent years the amount of residential accommodation in the City Centre has grown particularly on the periphery of the Central Shopping Core where redundant office and factory space has become available. The amenities of the occupiers of new City Centre residences will become increasingly important in considering the location of new leisure and food and drink uses, for example, public houses. In some circumstances, therefore, it may be necessary to impose conditions on planning permissions restricting the hours of opening and the playing of music or amplified voice.

4.21. In common with many cities Leicester has witnessed a large increase in food and drink uses in the city centre. Work carried out on behalf of the LRC has nevertheless identified a weakness in the facilities for food and drink in or near the retail core and the need for them to be expanded, particularly family oriented facilities, to encourage shoppers to remain in the centre longer.

4.22. Whilst pubs, bars, coffee shops and restaurants have undoubtedly contributed to a livelier City centre particularly in the evenings and helped to revamp secondary streets, there are signs of over concentration in some streets and crime and disorder is becoming an issue. The growth in nightclubs has also contributed to these concerns, the number of which doubled from 2000 to 2002 and significantly affected the number of assaults committed. Many of the larger bars with late night extensions display features common to nightclubs.

4.23. Perceptions of personal safety especially at night are crucial to success in attracting more people to the centre. Where new leisure and food and drink development has implications for safety and it is considered desirable that the new development is covered by the CCTV system, contributions towards the CCTV system or extensions to it will be sought from applicants in order to enhance safety on the street.

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4.24. Class A3, A4 and A5 uses will continue to be encouraged in the Central Shopping Core and proposals will be subject to the considerations in Policy SPA04. Policy guidance on the issues relating to A3, A4 and A5 uses in the Central Shopping Core and on its periphery raised in the foregoing paragraphs is covered by Supplementary Planning Guidance ‘City Centre Class A3 Uses’, adopted in December 2003.

The Central Office Core

4.25. The Central Office Core (see Chapter 2 Plan Strategy) around London Road Station is currently made up of high density, multi-storey office developments south of the railway station. The relevant Policies are PS05 ‘Central Office Core’, setting out principles and objectives, and E05 ‘Major Office Development’, setting out the sequential approach to the location of new office development over 1000 m². The Area Strategy Guidance (December 2004) foresees high density office development that maximizes the potential of this location supported by a mix of complementary uses which ensures activity and surveillance within and beyond office hours.

The Central Commercial Zone

4.26. What makes the City Centre such a vibrant place is the mix of uses that attract people throughout the day to work, shop and enjoy their free time. The City Centre is much more than just a shopping magnet.  This wider cultural and economic role is acknowledged by the introduction of a new policy area, the Central Commercial Zone. Development that attracts many visitors from the region as well as the locality will be focused on this area as well as the Central Shopping Core, including cinemas, theatres, offices, other leisure, social and community uses.

4.27. The Central Commercial Zone is a wide area that is made up of a number of more detailed allocations such as local shopping centres, Primarily Employment Areas, Primarily Office Areas, Primarily Residential Areas, Potential Development Areas, Community, Education and Leisure uses and Green Space. As such it represents an “area of search” for facilities serving a city-wide catchment but appropriate sites for any such facility will be guided by the policies covering the individual areas within the Zone.

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4.28. This policy seeks to provide for a range of facilities appropriate to a city of Leicester’s size and regional standing. In accordance with the principles of sustainable development set out in PPS6 such major facilities should be located within the Central Shopping Core or on the edge of it. Edge-of-centre for such facilities including leisure uses is defined in PPS6 as being more extensive than the usual definition of easy walking distance, that is, up to 300 metres from the primary shopping area. For central area uses other than retailing, a reasonable walking distance from the Central Shopping Core and public transport interchanges, would be expected to be in the region of 500 metres. The Central Commercial Zone thus provides the outer boundary for the location of non-retail central area facilities, such as major leisure and office development, with a city-wide function. Policy CL08 covers proposals for major spectator sports and entertainment facilities and out-of-centre proposals will be subject to a sequential test.

4.29. Non-retail key City Centre uses cover a wide range of different facilities. Some of these are more appropriately located as close as possible to public transport interchanges and in areas that are well populated throughout the day, for example, a central lending library. Other facilities, while benefiting from good public transport access, may find advantages offered by a less central location, for example, hotels. The Central Commercial Zone includes a stretch of the Riverside in the west which offers potential for development both enhancing and benefiting from this asset.

4.30. At any particular time there will be only a certain number of sites within the City Centre with potential for conversion, development or redevelopment. This Local Plan highlights those areas with regeneration potential at the time of its adoption. Supplementary planning documents or site development guidance will be produced both to set out in more detail the City Council’s approach to regeneration in the identified Strategic Regeneration Areas and Potential Development Areas and to address future regeneration potential. Developers of any major facility subject to a sequential approach to location, as set out in Central Government guidelines and Development Plans pertaining to the City, are strongly advised to contact the City Council at an early stage to discuss available and appropriate sites within the City Centre.

City Centre Housing

4.31. The City Council wishes to increase the amount of residential accommodation in the City Centre. There is also a general presumption against the loss of existing residential units as set out in Policy H05 (Loss of Housing). In particular the Council wishes to retain existing residential accommodation within the New Walk Conservation Area to maximise surveillance and pedestrian activity in the evenings and at weekends.

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4.32. The City Centre housing market is an essential element in improving the appeal of the City Centre. There has been considerable success in recent years in the conversion of outdated offices and factory buildings both freestanding and above shops. As explained in the Plan Strategy (Chapter 2) the St. George’s area is an area where residential accommodation should be particularly encouraged.

4.33.  Coupled with the burgeoning of bars and restaurants (A3 and A4 uses) this has brought life back into the centre, particularly outside “office hours”. This trend should be encouraged although the juxtaposition of potentially conflicting uses is a material consideration in granting planning consent for both residential and Class A3, A4 and A5 uses and is addressed in Policy SPA04 and supporting Area Strategy Guidance: ‘City Centre Class A3 Uses’.

4.34. Residential use of vacant upper floors is also supported. The Council will seek to ensure that the ability of buildings to accommodate residential schemes in the future will not be prejudiced. In circumstances where planning permission is required, the internal design of ground and upper floors of buildings undergoing conversion to shops (Class A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 uses) or refurbishment will be given consideration. No conversion should take away the ability of upper floors to provide residential accommodation. (see Policy H04).

City Centre Transport

4.35. The first Central Leicestershire Local Transport Plan identified certain issues in the City Centre relating to transport:

•  public transport interchange;

•  air quality;

•       pedestrianisation; and

•       improvements to access to the City Centre through a radial corridor enhancement strategy.

4.36. Specific measures being considered in the City Centre:

•  A new bus link between the London Road Railway Station, central shopping core and St. Margaret’s Bus Station.

•       Improvements to bus stop provision and bus operating procedures to enable better facilities to be offered.

•  Removal of bus operations from High Street/Belgrave Gate corridor to enable improvements to road safety and the environment in these streets.

•  Provision of new public transport facilities as part of major City Centre retail developments.

•  A low emission zone.

•       Cycling/access

Public Transport

4.37. There will be opportunities during the Plan period to remove bus traffic from High Street and the Haymarket particularly in the vicinity of the Clock Tower, if satisfactory alternatives can be provided. Buses currently use the full length of High Street and Haymarket/Belgrave Gate, causing a hazard to pedestrians crossing these streets (in particular adjacent to the Clock Tower) and splitting the prime shopping area in half. One of the most promising alternatives would be to route buses along an improved east–west link in the vicinity of Mansfield Street, St. Peter’s Lane and Causeway Lane, serving the extension to the Shires shopping centre. The areas around Mansfield. Street and St. Peters Lane are identified as Potential Development Areas in Policy PS09a and any redevelopment proposals will be required to provide such an alternative arrangement. If an alternative can be provided that includes operational routes and quality stopping facilities then further traffic free areas around the Clock Tower could be implemented.

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4.38. The design of measures to remove vehicular traffic should take account of the safety and security of pedestrians particularly after dark.

THE TOWN CENTRES OF BEAUMONT LEYS AND HAMILTON

4.39. Beaumont Leys and Hamilton have been identified as centres which provide, or could provide, the next level of facilities and services below the City Centre. Beaumont Leys already has a range of shopping and leisure facilities and benefited from new shops and an extension to the Tesco superstore in 1999. Hamilton has a large superstore and a range of smaller shop units.

4.40. The two Town Centres each comprise a Shopping Core and a wider Commercial Zone. There is potential for further development in both Centres, but particularly in Hamilton Town Centre where the proposed Commercial Zone extends to the west of Hamilton Way. The success of this centre will be dependent on the construction of a wide surface level footbridge/cycleway between the eastern and western halves across the sunken Hamilton Way carriageway.

4.41. Policies relating to the Town Centre Shopping Cores can also be found in Chapter 8. In particular Policy R01 (Major Out-of-Centre Retail Development) sets out the sequential approach for major new retail development outside the Central Shopping Core.

4.42. For the avoidance of doubt the term Town Centre, comprising the Shopping Core and the Commercial Zone, in this context is not to be taken as meaning ‘town centre’ as used in PPS6, Annex A, Table 2.

The Town Centres

4.43. The Town Centres include both the Shopping Cores and the Commercial Zones. Within the Commercial Zones there are Potential Development Areas (PDAs) and community and leisure allocations as shown on the Proposals Map. The Town Centres, like the City Centre, are therefore  “areas of search” for all non-retail key Town Centre uses while the Shopping Cores are the first “area of search” for further retailing. The suitability of any particular use on any site within the Town Centres will, however, depend on other policies within this Local Plan including those pertaining to particular allocations. Policies on Keyham Lane and Beaumont Leys PDAs are included within PS09b in the Plan Strategy Chapter.

4.44 Town Centre retailing should be concentrated within the Town Centre Shopping Cores as shown on the Proposals Map. Proposals for further retailing development within the rest of the Town Centre will be subject to a number of factors including proximity to the Shopping Core and the availability of sites and premises within the Shopping Core. This is consistent with the sequential approach to retailing development set out in Chapter 8, policy R01 (Major Retail Development).

4.45. It is intended to encourage the location of both office type employment, leisure and community uses which generate large numbers of trips within the defined Town Centres. This will provide the potential for improved public transport use and combined trips. The Town Centres should not, however, compete with the City Centre for uses, which attract trips from the whole of the City and beyond. Such uses must look within the City Centre first and only extend the area of search to the Town Centres if they cannot find a suitable location within the City Centre. Such uses will be considered on their merits, which will include their impact on the Town Centres and surrounding areas, in terms of their scale, traffic generation and how well they serve the local population. See also policy R01, which sets out a similar sequential approach for major retail proposals.

4.46. As in the City Centre, residential uses within the Town Centres can both add to the vitality of the area and out-of-hours surveillance. Any residential schemes will have to work within the scale of these centres, consider appropriate mixed uses and should incorporate commercial or leisure uses on the ground floors.

4.47. Ease of pedestrian and cycle movement will be paramount within the Town Centre Commercial Zones. Any new development must consider pedestrian and cycle movement both within the Centres and to and from the surrounding residential areas. In particular the development of the area to the west of Hamilton Way will depend on the construction of a footbridge of a sufficient scale to unite the two disparate halves of the centre.

4.48. As with the City Centre, key Town Centre uses can cover a wide variety of forms and facilities. Developers are strongly advised to approach the City Council about any proposed major Town Centre development as early as possible so that appropriate and available sites can be discussed.

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RIVERSIDE

4.49. Riverside is a policy area which encompasses the River Soar and Grand Union Canal corridor through Leicester together with adjacent open space, commercial, residential and public buildings, public parks, allotments, footpaths and cycleways. These include the Great Central Way, Aylestone Meadows and Watermead Country Park, which will continue to be developed and managed as a resource for public access and activity and nature conservation. Riverside footpaths and cycle networks are an important part of Leicester’s sustainable transport plans and will be key features to address in new development proposals. Many initiatives, have dramatically raised the importance and profile of Riverside and the City Council will expect development and regeneration to maximize the opportunities offered by the waterside location, enhance Riverside as a safe, accessible and attractive place and contribute to its environmental potential. The Leicester Regeneration Company Masterplan proposals for the Waterside recognise the potential for bringing activity and vitality to the Riverside. Any further opportunities for appropriate urban regeneration will be encouraged.

4.50. The City Council supports a long term strategy and action plan for Riverside which takes forward the jointly commissioned Riverside Strategy and Corridor Strategy (British Waterways 1999), and responds to the Government’s “Waterways for Tomorrow” report (DETR 2000). To support this strategy and programme the City Council will produce further guidance as appropriate, some of which may form supplementary planning documents.

4.51. The character of Riverside is extremely diverse, ranging from rural and naturalistic in the south and north to areas of predominantly urban character in the central section. The natural environment makes an important contribution to public enjoyment and the river and canal corridor is a particularly important ecological resource for the city. Policy BE19 recognises the strategic importance of Riverside for flood relief as well as biodiversity. The character of the built environment depends on its historic features, archaeology, townscape, detailed visual qualities, key buildings and structures. Riverside provides opportunities for residential, employment, leisure, cultural and tourism development which can improve the vitality of the area and contribute to wider urban regeneration initiatives. The Public Art Plan for Riverside aims to enhance its visual quality.

4.52. New buildings, boundary treatments or other features including chimneys have an impact on the visual quality of the Riverside environment. Although existing development is often poorly related to the waterside, sensitive conversion, redevelopment or redesign of buildings, including older industrial and commercial buildings, can make a positive contribution.

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4.53. Better physical access, high design quality, visual links and landmarks can improve surveillance, improve actual and perceived safety and increase public use. The design of new access routes should consider sight lines, path or street widths, escape routes and landscape standards. Access to the wider footpath and cycle networks should be accommodated where possible. Where buildings are accessible by the public or used as main thoroughfares, spaces should be created between the development and the riverside which enable activity to be generated.

4.54. Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that new features do not diminish the attractiveness of the views seen from towing paths, water courses, bridges, cycle routes or other riverside sites. Signage, storage areas, car parks and other unsightly uses should be kept away from the riverside or enclosed and screened. In heavily built up areas, development should avoid large gaps in building frontage unless occupied by important views, attractive features or riverside open space.

4.55. Sensitive illumination of landmark structures and focal points, and their reflections on water, will enhance the structure and visual quality of Riverside. However, lighting style, colour, and intensity should be appropriate to the location and accord with the provisions of policy BE22. Where adjacent use supports evening activity, the Council will require a safe and well lit environment. Lighting of access routes should be confined to heavily used areas or along main routeways leading into the site. Consideration must be given to ensuring lighting does not threaten or deter wildlife using the waterway corridors and it will generally not be appropriate in areas of ‘rural’ quality such as green wedges.

4.56. Any requirements for formal amenity and boating should be balanced with nature conservation. Where appropriate, the City Council will require the river margins to be improved for wildlife using a variety of bank and channel management techniques. The position of buildings in relation to the waterside can also influence the quality of the riverside wildlife and provision of a buffer strip between the development and the river or canal edge may be required. In certain circumstances, planting will not be appropriate and conditions for natural regeneration should be created and managed. Other opportunities for enhancement could include canal wall maintenance or hard landscaping.

4.57. Alterations to existing industrial uses to satisfy new regulations should take all possible opportunities to diminish any negative impact on the Riverside environment. These would include new or increased height chimneys and ventilation flues. The City Council will seek to promote the use of colour treatments, public art, use or reuse of materials and boundary treatments to improve the appearance of large scale industrial structures such as chimneys and to enliven the visual quality of the site.

4.58. River and canalside footpaths or towing paths adjoining new development should be increased to a minimum width of 3 metres except where the character of the waterway may be adversely affected or where engineering constraints exist. The Council may seek to widen this where appropriate. It is envisaged that use of the towing path and footpath network will increase as a direct result of new development and many sections are inadequate to cope, particularly with mixed uses of the towing path and the needs of wheelchair users. The Council has a regard to the safety of towing path users and will seek agreements for towing path widening schemes where possible.

4.59. Footpaths, cycle ways, roads, water corridors and towing paths will be subject to planning conditions where appropriate as part of any adjoining development. Examples include:

•  the enhancement of riverside accessibility through towing path widening, signage and landscape schemes where the Council feel that existing provision is poor, unsafe or inadequate;

•  creation of improved frontages where new developments adjoin or are visible from a footpath, towing path, cycleway, waterway or area of nature conservation value;

•  opportunities for environmental and nature conservation improvements; and

•  commuted sums towards costs such as litter clearance and grounds maintenance where development is likely to increase the City Council’s maintenance obligations.

Moorings and Marinas

4.60. The City Council will continue to work with other key agencies, particularly British Waterways, to encourage people to visit the City by boat and to use it as a base for boating. Boat use generates activity and interest, develops tourism and recreational opportunities and can bring about economic and social benefits. Much progress has been made in developing and managing the Riverside as an attractive environment for boaters, but there is still a shortage of moorings and associated facilities. Policy AM19 safeguards waterside freight connections.

4.61. The Development Framework for the Waterside Area includes proposals for a marina. There are also opportunities to develop small marina or mooring facilities as integral components of other waterside developments. As the potential impact of marina and moorings on the riverside environment can be significant, the advice of the Environment Agency and British Waterways must be sought at an early stage in the planning process. Memory Lane Wharf has particular potential for providing such small scale moorings and associated facilities.

Bridges

4.62. Riverside has many notable bridges which contribute to the character, setting and historical value. New bridge designs should seek to match the high standards achieved within a modern context. In particular, bridge design should consider the needs of users of the water space and towpath as well as wildlife. In this respect it is important to consider the design quality of the underside as well as the surface and to reduce opportunities for graffiti.

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