Retail Issues

Letter of Comfort for Centros Miller

This was sent to Centros Miller's planning consultant by Andrew Dobson, Lancaster City Council head of Planning and Building Control

Contact: Andrew Dobson
Telephone: (01524) 582303
Fax: (01524) 582322
Minicom: (01524) 582175
E-mail: adobson@lancaster.gov.uk
Website: www.lancaster.gov.uk
Our Ref: ASD/DH
Your Ref: JNS/CLS/PD6590

Planning and Building Control Services

Andrew Dobson
Head of Planning and Building Control
Palatine Hall
Dalton Square
LANCASTER LA1 1PW

DX63531 Lancaster

Dear Julian

WHITE YOUNG GREEN RETAIL STUDY.

Thank you for your letter of 27th March 2006.

The White Young Green Study has been produced to a specific brief to inform the Council on how to proceed with it’s Local Development Framework. The brief was to look at how the Districts main service centres needed to cater for change in order to maintain the current levels of retained spending and in this manner to provide for a sustainable level of retail provision in the district.

It is published in final form along with other documents, which will be used to inform the preparation of the LDF. This does not mean that the LDF will be dogmatically linked to its findings, nor consider only the scenarios anticipated in the original brief. The report has not, and does not need to be reported to Members as this stage because it is a research document which will lead to policies and proposals upon which Members should properly decide. As such it is a benchmark against which to consider alternative options, rather than a definitive tool to dictate what those options should be.

I know that you have raised a number of questions about the study and put forward alternative arguments for floorspace provision. These will no doubt be equally valid and may give the district further choices such as adding to it’s catchment by attracting greater tourism spend from areas such as the Lakes. We are very happy at this stage to consider these alternative scenarios alongside the White Young Green report, and I am also happy for the consultants to comment on your alternative figures to provide some synergy between the two.

I fully understand the concerns you discussed with me about the fact that third parties might see the White Young Green Report as restrictive and definitive at this stage. I think this would be an unduly blinkered approach, similar perhaps to producing one Core Strategy without considering alternative options. The work I know that you will undertake on behalf of your clients will share many common features with the WYG report, but will provide alternative scenarios. The existing planning position, and the drafting of the LDF proposals will be richer for this in my view.

In summary therefore I confirm that the White Young Green report is published in its final form. That it is only a background document to inform the LDF and is not a formal statement of the City Council’s position on retail growth for the district. It does not preclude other informed debate on retail growth options supported by validated evidence at this stage in the process.

Yours sincerely
Andrew Dobson

HEAD OF PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL