Development within Buckinghamshire’s centres

EC9: Development within Buckinghamshire’s centres Development within primary shopping frontages 1. Within the primary shopping frontages in the sub-regional town centres and town centres at ground floor level, only shops, cafes / restaurants, financial and professional services (Use classes E(a), E(b), and E(c)) will be permitted subject to achieving a good mix of retail uses overall and provided the proposal meets all the below criteria: a)Either cumulatively or individually contributes positively to the vitality and viability of the centre. This should consider: i. the mix of uses in the primary frontage. ii. what is currently located there and what development already has planning permission. iii. the location, prominence and length of frontage of the premises. iv. the nature of the use proposed, including the level of pedestrian activity associated with it; and v. the number of ground floor vacancies in the area. 2. Consideration will be given to the size of the proposed unit, the width of the frontage and surrounding uses. A window and entrance should be provided or retained which relates well to the design of the building and to the street scene and its setting. 3. Development for uses other than shops, cafes / restaurants, financial and professional services (Use classes E(a), E(b) or E(c)) will not be supported at ground floor within primary shopping frontages. 4. Residential and office development is encouraged within the primary shopping frontage above ground floor levels subject to appropriate accessibility requirements. Development outside primary shopping frontages 4. Development outside primary shopping frontages will be supported where it contributes positively to the role and function of the centre. Within primary shopping areas but outside primary shopping frontages 6. Proposals for shops, cafes / restaurants, financial and professional services (Use classes E(a), E(b), and E(c)) will be supported. Other main town centre uses will be supported where they: a) complements the existing uses. b) contribute positively to the vitality and viability of the primary shopping area; and c) maintain or improves the attractiveness and interest of the street scene. 7. Proposals for uses which are not for main town centre uses outside the defined primary shopping frontage and within the primary shopping area will be supported if criteria b. c. and d. are met and the proposal does not cause an undue concentration of non-main town centre uses within the primary shopping area. Outside primary shopping areas and primary shopping frontages but within centres 8. Proposals for shops, cafes / restaurants, financial and professional services (Use classes E(a), E(b) and E(c)) or any main town centre uses will be supported where they: a) make a positive contribution to the centre’s vitality, considering the existing mix of uses and committed uses, prominence and length of frontage of the premises, pedestrian activity, and vacancies. b) Do not result in more than three consecutive units non-E(a)/E(b)/E(c) units in a row; and c) A window and entrance should be provided or retained which relates well to the design of the building and to the street scene and its setting. 9. Proposals for non-main town centre uses will be supported if criteria f. and g. are met and the proposal does not cause an undue concentration of non-main town centre uses within the primary shopping area. 10. Residential and office development is encouraged outside the primary shopping frontage above ground floor levels subject to appropriate accessibility requirements. Figure 30: Diagrammatic Representation of Policy EC11