National Planning Policy Guideline 8: Town Centres and Retailing (NPPG8) requires that planning authorities and developers adopt a sequential approach to selecting sites for new retail, commercial leisure and other key town centre uses. First preference should be for town centre sites, where sites or buildings suitable for conversion are available, followed by edge-of-centre sites, and only then by out-of-centre sites at locations that are, or can be made, easily accessible by a choice of means of transport.

This policy is intended to give appropriate weight to the sequential approach, and to define both the categories of development and the hierarchy tiers to which it should apply.

In determining the status of sites with respect to this policy, regard should be had to the series of centre maps on the Centre Map sheet. Any site adjoining or adjacent to a centre’s boundary will be considered ‘edge-of-centre’, where it is demonstrated that the proposed development will ensure that joint trips to it and the existing centre will be facilitated by easy pedestrian movements and shared transport facilities, such as car parks and bus lay-bys. The purpose is to ensure that, once operational, the new development becomes an integrated part of the enlarged centre, both physically and functionally. Account will be taken of the particular circumstances of the site, the proposed development, and the existing centre; but sites separated by physical barriers or by more than 100 metres from the centre’s boundary are unlikely to secure this objective.

For the City Centre, the particular interpretation of ‘in-centre’ and ‘edge-of-centre’ is shown on centre map C1/CC, and variations depending on the specific type of development proposed are set out in Policy CC/SC 1: The Sequential Approach to Retail, Leisure and Entertainment and Related Development in the City Centre and schedule CC/SC(i).

Proposals involving any of the development categories contained in schedule SC(ii) that are not consistent with the development plan will require to be justified by the developer as exceptions to policy, and will be assessed against the considerations contained in paragraph 45 of NPPG 8 (see also policy SC 4: Retail Development, and Supplementary Guide SG 3: Retail Assessments).

In approving the Joint Structure Plan, Scottish Ministers inserted a modification requiring the Joint Committee to hold discussions with the retailing industry on the assessment of retail requirements in the period beyond 2006, with a view to bringing forward a longer-term strategy for town centres and retailing as an Alteration to the Structure Plan before the end of 2003. On completion of this process, the Council will review the content of this policy and, if appropriate, will seek to amend it at an early date to reflect any changes to the Joint Structure Plan.

The categories of commercial development indicated in schedule SC(ii) will be subject to a sequential approach in the selection of sites for new development. Proposals for out-of-centre commercial developments in these categories will be favourably considered only if it is demonstrated by the applicant that no in-centre or (as second choice) edge-of-centre location is available for a development of the nature proposed. Edge-of-centre developments must be properly integrated with the centre as a whole, particularly in respect of pedestrian movement.

SCHEDULE SC(ii): CATEGORIES OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT SUBJECT TO THE SEQUENTIAL APPROACH

This schedule lists the categories of commercial development which will be subject to a sequential approach in the selection of development sites.