A Place to Meet, Shop and do Business (Town Centre) Working Group Brief.

The Task: ‘Develop options to support the town centre as a prosperous and vibrant local centre for retail, service and entertainment activity:

Starting points:

How do we secure the future resilience of Liskeard as a vibrant town serving the needs of people who live in the town, in the surrounding area and who visit from further afield?

Should Liskeard develop further in the future as a modern market town with a shopping centre; service hub; as well as being a cultural and a social centre?

Does Liskeard need to change its focus; does it need to get bigger – retail area stipulation of Local Plan?

What are the main obstacles to achieving greater vibrancy in the town?

The outcome should:

• Support the development of a broader integrated strategy for the town centre linking public realm and car parking management, pedestrian circulation within centre and from car parks, visitor promotion, and community safety;
• Include policies to control and enhance the quality of advertising and built environment
• Identifiy and propose policies for ‘opportunity sites’ for redevelopment
• Identify, protect and enhance space for events

Delivery Activities: 

• What do we know? Retail statistics & projections – how is the commercial centre of Liskeard going to develop?
• What do we need to find out (e.g. legacy work from Portas Project? CLES report) – What do we already have in place?
• How do the NPPF and Local Plan (e.g. retail allocation) support/feed into town centre policies/projects?
• Where should new businesses go? What criteria should be used to assess the viability/suitability of sites?  e.g. cattle market/Taylors garage site.
• How will potential release of Cornwall Council sites/buildings through devolution create opportunities?
• Who should provide new facilities? How should new retail and other businesses be integrated into the town and its surrounding area (CNA) (see employment group)?
• What role will housing have in a future town centre? eg “living over the shop” scheme (see housing)
• Would a bigger resident population in the centre improve vibrancy/increase footfall?
• What design standards should be applied to ensure quality, energy efficiency and sustainability taking account of heritage buildings in centre (see energy, design and heritage)?

As part of the work:

• Hold engagement sessions with community and stakeholders/industry representatives
• Visit and take advice from expert sources and recognised good practice examples
• Prepare updates for reporting back to the Neighbourhood Plan Team at its monthly meetings
• Prepare a report that makes recommendations on the options for policies and proposals that the NP Team and Town Council should consider taking forward [spring 2015].

Response categories from Community Engagement (number)

• New shops (59)
• Resolve parking issues (51)
• Regeneration on empty/ old/under-used/derelict sites (33)
• Attract national chain stores (28)
• Tidy up/improve appearance (19)
• Eurospar site (17)
• Family restaurant (14)
• Retain flavour/character of town (13)
• Explore living above shops (footfall) (13)
• Attract a supermarket (13)

N.B. Need to look at fine detail of survey responses for complete picture

N.B. Proposals must have regard to economic reality, they must have a planning purpose, and be achievable

Recommended policies or proposals can be either specific (a site allocation); controlling (in a specific area something will not be permitted; or enabling (developments will be permitted under certain conditions)

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