Policy RET 1: Retail hierarchy
- In line with LPS Policy EG 5 'Promoting a town centre first approach to retail and commerce', the hierarchy of retail centres in Cheshire East is set out in the three tables below. The boundaries for principal town centres, town centres and local centres are shown on the adopted policies map. Development proposals should reflect the role, function and character of the relevant retail centre in the hierarchy to promote their long term vitality and viability.
Principal town centres, town centres and local centres
| Role and tier in retail hierarchy | Centre name | Centres |
|---|
| Principal town |
Principal town centres |
Crewe and Macclesfield |
| Key service centres |
Town centres |
Alsager, Congleton, Handforth, Knutsford, Middlewich, Nantwich, Poynton, Sandbach and Wilmslow |
| Local service centres |
Local centres |
Alderley Edge, Audlem, Bollington, Chelford, Disley, Goostrey, Haslington, Holmes Chapel, Mobberley and Prestbury |
- Local centre boundaries are not proposed for Bunbury, Wrenbury and Shavington. As local service centres, any additional retail provision in these centres should focus on providing retailing of an appropriate scale, plus take opportunities for service users and small scale independent retailing of a function and character that meets the needs of the local community.
- The following local urban centres are defined on the adopted policies map:
Local urban centres
| Role and tier in retail hierarchy | Centres |
|---|
| Local urban centres |
Nantwich Road (Crewe), West Street (Crewe), West Heath Shopping Centre (Congleton), Welsh Row (Nantwich), Chapel Lane (Wilmslow) and Dean Row Road (Wilmslow) |
- The following neighbourhood parades of shops are defined on the adopted policies map:
Neighbourhood parades of shops
| Role and tier in retail hierarchy | Centres |
|---|
| Neighbourhood parade of shops |
Crewe: Bramhall Road, Coronation Crescent, Coleridge Way, Kings Drive, Reasdale Avenue, Edleston Road; Macclesfield: Mill Lane, Tytherington Centre, Hurdsfield Green, Buxton Road, Park Lane, Thornton Square, Earlsway/Weston Square, Broken Cross, Kennedy Avenue, Westminster Road; Congleton: Hightown Biddulph Road; Handforth: Plumley Road; Knutsford: Longridge, Parkgate Lane, Woodlands Drive; Nantwich: Cronkinson Farm; Poynton: School Lane; Sandbach: Queens Drive; Wilmslow: Davenport Green, Twinnies Road; Alderley Edge: Wood Gardens; Bollington: Grimshaw Lane; Haslington: Crewe Road |
Supporting information
9.2 LPS Policy EG 5 'Promoting a town centre first approach to retail and commerce' sets out the retail hierarchy in Cheshire East, using the settlement hierarchy set out in LPS Policy PG 2 'Settlement hierarchy' (principal towns, key service centres and local service centres).
9.3 Evidence from the individual settlement reports has led to the identification of local urban centres and neighbourhood parades of shops, which have been added to the retail hierarchy.
9.4 This policy therefore supplements LPS Policy EG 5 and confirms the retail hierarchy in Cheshire East. Reference should be made to the following retail policies that may apply to the different levels of the retail hierarchy, as shown in Table 9.1 'Retail policies'.
Table 9.1 Retail policies
| Role and tier | Centre name | Related policy |
|---|
| Principal town |
Principal town centres |
|
| Key service centre |
Town centres |
|
| Local service centre |
Local centres |
|
|
Local urban centres |
|
|
Neighbourhood parades of shops |
|
9.5 There is no discernible cluster of retail and town centre uses to enable a local centre boundary to be drawn in the case of Bunbury, Shavington and Wrenbury. However, they remain as local service centres in the retail hierarchy and any future additional proposed retail provision should take account of their role and function alongside other relevant local or neighbourhood plan policies.
9.6 Local urban centres support the sustainability of larger centres and provide access to local day to day shopping needs. Neighbourhood parades of shops serve localised day to day needs of residents and are of purely neighbourhood significance. For the avoidance of doubt, neighbourhood parades of shops do not fall within the definition of town centres in the glossary of the NPPF.
9.7 Although planned new centres within the LPS strategic allocations do not currently form part of the retail hierarchy, in line with the approach in Policy RET 3 'Sequential and impact tests' and paragraph 90a of the NPPF, retail impact assessments for proposals on sites outside defined centres footnote 21), which are not in accordance with an up-to-date plan, should consider their impact on existing, committed and planned public and private investment on centre(s) in the catchment area of the proposal, including any relevant LPS allocations.
Related documents
(Footnote 21) Principal town centres, town centres, local centres or local urban centres
Policy information
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