Town centre retail and leisure impact assessment
Last Updated: 21 February 2023
A town centre retail and leisure impact assessment is used to maintain and enhance the vitality, viability and sustainability of our town centres.
When required
Retail uses
- 2000 square metres gross floor space outside the town centre of Kendal
- 1000 square metres gross floor space outside the town centre of Ulverston
- 500 square metres outside the town centres of Grange-over-Sands, Kirkby Lonsdale and Milnthorpe
Leisure uses
- 2500 square metres gross floor space outside town centres
Guidance
The assessment should justify the need and scale of the development together with an assessment of the impact upon the vitality of existing town centres and wider retail catchment locations. Details of the availability of other sites closer to a centre for the development will also be required.
It should assess the impact on existing, committed and planned public and private investment in a town centre(s) in the catchment area of the proposal.
The assessment should show that the proposed retail development will retain expenditure in the locality and prevent local trade leaking to distant destinations.
The sequential test will be applied to proposed developments for main town centre uses which are not within an existing town centre as defined on the policies map. The sequential approach will not be applied to development for small scale rural offices or other small scale rural development.
Policies
Policy CS7.5 South Lakeland Core Strategy; Town Centre and Retail Strategy