Planning and practice policy
Scenario
With a current population of 80,000, St. Elsewhere is the largest town in its District Council area.
However, the town centre has been in decline for some years, as its mix of retail, office and food/drink service businesses have not adapted well to economic change. Around 25% of all retail,office and food/drink service premises in the town centre were already vacant at the onset of the Covid-19 crisis in March 2020. By October 2021, this level of vacancies had risen to 35%, and it is likely that more closures will happen in the absence of prompt, co-ordinated local action.
St. Elsewhere District Council have contracted your independent planning consultancy to prepare a series of reports assessing how the planning system can help make its town centre more vibrant and sustainable in the medium to long term.
As a member of the team preparing these reports, you have been tasked to undertake a critical evaluation of TWO of the measures set out in Chapter 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework, which seek to ‘support the role that town centres play at the heart of their communities, by taking a positive approach to their growth, management and adaptation.’ (MHCLG 2019)
Task
Write a report that:
Explains the key aims and objectives of TWO measures listed in Chapter 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework; and
Critically evaluates how those TWO measures could be applied to address the challenges St Elsewhere town centre faces.
Support the arguments you make with reference to ‘real-world’ examples of town centre regeneration policy and practice in England and/or another jurisdiction with which you are familar.
An executive summary is not required.
Reference
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) (2019) National Planning Policy Framework [online]. Available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework–2 [accessed 4 August 2021].
