Annex Two: London’s town centre network
To help improve access to policies in the London Plan and associated supporting text we have created an online version. Each policy has its own page, as do the sections of supporting text that are not directly associated with a specific policy. Our aim is to recreate the plan as accurately as possible; however this online plan has some variations:
- The footnotes do not match the numbering in the plan as they begin at 1 on each webpage
- The hyperlinks have been added for related policies
- The display and formatting of tables and maps have been modified for online use
For the avoidance of doubt, this is an additional resource that does not replace the published London Plan. In the event that there are differences, the London Plan as published is always the definitive version.
A PDF version of the London Plan Annex Two: London’s town centre network can be found in the Related Documents section at the bottom of this page.
Introduction
A2.1 For the avoidance of doubt, this annex forms part of the London Plan and therefore of the statutory development plan.
A2.2 Policies 2.15 and 4.7 - 4.8 of the London Plan provide the strategic framework for town centre policy development and implementation. This Annex identifies the existing role and function of town centres in the network and provides a broad indication of the future growth potential of each town centre together with anticipated changes to classifications over the Plan period. The roles of town centres in the regeneration process and strategic clusters of night time economic activity are also identified.
The London Plan MALP March 2016 - Annex 2 - London's Town Centre Network.pdf
Town centre classifications
A2.3 Town centres are classified in the Plan in Table A2.1 according to their existing role and function in light of health checks taking into account criteria which include scale, mix of uses, financial performance and accessibility. In London, there are five broad types of town centre which perform different but complementary roles:
- International centres – London’s globally renowned retail destinations with a wide range of high-order comparison and specialist shopping with excellent levels of public transport accessibility.
- Metropolitan centres – serve wide catchments which can extend over several boroughs and into parts of the wider South East region. Typically they contain at least 100,000 sq.m of retail, leisure and service floorspace with a significant proportion of high-order comparison goods relative to convenience goods. These centres generally have very good accessibility and significant employment, service and leisure functions.
- Major centres – typically found in inner and some parts of outer London with a borough-wide catchment. They generally contain over 50,000 sq.m of retail, leisure and service floorspace with a relatively high proportion of comparison goods relative to convenience goods. They may also have significant employment, leisure, service and civic functions.
- District centres – distributed more widely than the Metropolitan and Major centres, providing convenience goods and services for more local communities and accessible by public transport, walking and cycling. Typically they contain 10,000–50,000 sq.m of retail, leisure and service floorspace. Some District centres have developed specialist shopping functions.
- Neighbourhood and more local centres – typically serve a localised catchment often most accessible by walking and cycling and include local parades and small clusters of shops, mostly for convenience goods and other services. They may include a small supermarket (typically up to around 500 sq.m), sub-post office, pharmacy, laundrette and other useful local services. Together with District centres they can play a key role in addressing areas deficient in local retail and other services.
A2.4 In the Central Activities Zone (CAZ), a further classification – CAZ Frontages – refers to mixed use areas usually with a predominant retail function (see Policy 2.11). The most significant CAZ Frontages are identified in Table A2.1.
A2.5 Town centres that have specialist roles supporting strategic clusters of night time economic activities of more than local significance are also identified in Table A2.1. Principles to guide the management of these activities are set out in Policy 4.6.
Strategic guidance and future growth potential
A2.6 Table A2.1 provides strategic guidance on the broad future direction envisaged for the International, Metropolitan, Major and District centres including their possible potential for growth and regeneration (see Policy 2.15). Three broad categories of future growth potential have been identified – High, Medium and Low:
- High growth – includes town centres likely to experience strategically significant levels of growth with strong demand and/or large scale retail, leisure or office development in the pipeline and with existing or potential public transport capacity to accommodate it (typically PTAL 5-6).
- Medium growth – includes town centres with moderate levels of demand for retail, leisure or office floorspace and with physical and public transport capacity to accommodate it.
- Low growth – town centres that are encouraged to pursue a policy of consolidation by making the best use of existing capacity, either due to (a) physical, environmental or public transport accessibility constraints, or (b) low demand.
- Regeneration – this is a supplementary classification and refers to those town centres where existing capacity can be utilized to achieve regeneration objectives including physical, environmental and economic renewal.
A2.7 The potential future growth categorisations are only indicative and should be refined by boroughs in collaboration with the Mayor in light of integrated strategic and local capacity assessments and health checks as part of the preparation of LDFs. The categorisations refer to the broad potential for growth for the whole centre and not for individual sites within it. Further guidance on the application of policy will be given in Supplementary Planning Guidance.
Managing change in the town centre network
A2.8 Policy 2.15 sets out the process for managing changes to the classifications of centres based upon evidence in town centre health checks. It will be co-ordinated strategically taking into account relationships with adjoining sub-regions and the regions outside London.
A2.9 Drawing upon the strategic policy guidelines and growth prospects (paragraph A2.6 above), Table A2.2 and Map A2.1 indicate potential future changes to the classifications of town centres in the network over the Plan period including potential new centres. These centres or locations are not for immediate re-classification and will continue to be tested to take account of changes in accessibility and the implementation of planning decisions and policy.
Table A2.1
Map A2.1 Potential future changes to the town centre network over the Plan period
Notes
- Classifications are described in paragraph A2.3 and illustrated in Map 2.6. Centres marked * in Table A2.1 indicates classification is subject to monitoring.
- NT1 = International; NT2 = Regional/sub-regional; NT3 = More than local significance.
- Policy directions (high/medium/low) are explained in paragraph A2.6. ‘R’ indicates centres in need of regeneration.
- Office guidelines (see Policy 4.2) provide a broad indication of the approach to office development based upon research in the London Office Policy Review 2012, distinguishing between centres where:
A speculative office development could be promoted on the most efficient and accessible sites in the context of wider schemes to enhance the environment and offer of the centre as a commercial location. This might entail some long-term net loss of overall office stock through change of use of provision on less attractive sites.
B some office provision could be promoted as part of wider residential or residential and retail/leisure mixed use development. This would be likely to entail long- term net loss of overall office stock, partial renewal on the more commercially attractive sites and managed change of use of provision on less attractive sites.
CAZ locations lying within the Central Activities Zone – see Policies 2.11, 4.2 and 4.3.
Table A2.2
Table A2.2 Potential future changes to the town centre network over the Plan period
* Re-classifications are subject to capacity analysis, impact assessments, land use and accessibility, planning approvals, town centre health checks and full implementation.
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