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The Main Issues Issue 4
Promoting sustainable locations for development
Glasgow City Centre City Centre, as the focus of the city-region sits apart from all other centres. It offers the widest range of roles and functions, namely:
Network of strategic centres Role and function: Retail
6.62 Glasgow
■ one of the top three comparison retail destinations in the UK; ■ the business and commercial heart of the city-region;
6.63 The
retail sector is now characterised by rapidly changing demands in society by alternative formats such as the internet and mail order and by the retail industry varying their formats to match these different demands. Additionally, the two sub-sectors of retail - comparison (durables, clothing, etc) and convenience (food and basic commodities) - are characterised by different market areas, the latter being effectively local in nature.
■ the employment core of the city-region; 6.64 This
■ one of the top short-stay tourist destinations in the UK;
MIR therefore seeks a different approach from previous plans, its perspective is confined to the more strategic comparison market, including bulky goods.
■ a strong conference and business tourism focus; 6.65 The
■ the cultural and artistic heart of the city-region; and ■ the core of the city-region’s sustainable transport networks, both external and internal. In terms of the SDP, therefore, there is a fundamental need to underpin and maintain these roles and functions of the City Centre into the longer-term.
detail of this approach is set out in Background Report 11. In order to maximise accessibility by sustainable transport and to enable the development industry to create a modern quality retail experience, ten centres, in addition to Glasgow City Centre (Figure 25), will be promoted in the SDP to the investment industry, to Government and to local authorities for investment and management to support their range of strategic roles and functions.
6.66 Whilst
the majority of these centres are defined as town centres, a number are disproportionate in terms of their retail scale so dwarfing their other roles. There is a need, therefore, in the strategic retail centres to promote a sustainable and diverse mix of future retail, business, civic and community uses which will avoid consequent negative impacts on other network centres. It will require LDPs to maintain and improve the balance of roles and functions, including improved public transport accessibility where appropriate. In such cases, there is a danger in their retail role developing to an unsustainable level to the detriment of their diversity of other roles and with possible negative impacts on other network centres and on sustainability targets. It will require LDPs and the development management process to ensure that such centres maintain their strategic retail role, but improve their balance of roles and functions through diversification of landuses and improved sustainable access.
6.67 Braehead,
a key strategic catalyst for regeneration along the Renfrew riverside, is in a similar situation. It is currently identified as a commercial centre whose scale of retail dominates its other roles. However, it is becoming the focus for the development of an emerging new riverside community and, with diversification from its dominant retail role, could assume a future town centre role. In fact, the role and function analysis carried out to define the network of centres for strategic investment may suggest the requirement now to recognise Braehead as a town centre within that defined network.
6.68 In
order to assist the LDP and development management processes, the GCVSDPA, in preparing the Proposed Plan following the MIR stage, will undertake a strategic level capacity assessment of the retail function of the network of retail centres with a view to guiding the need for, and balance of, investment in strategic comparison floorspace during the plan period.
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GLASGOW AND THE CLYDE VALLEY STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN MAIN ISSUES REPORT SEPTEMBER 2010