C&W LCC 2003 Report

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LIVERPOOL

DISTRICT & LOCA L CENTRE STUDY

ON BEHALF OF

LIVERPOOL CI TY CO UNCIL

CUSHMA N & WA KEFIELD HEALEY & BAKER

43-45 PORTMA N SQUARE

LONDON

W1A 3BG

TEL: 020- 7935-5000

FAX: 020-7514-2392

WWW.CUSHWAKE.COM

2003

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Liverpoo l Loca l & District Centre Study

LIVERPOOL/LOCAL & DISTRICTCENTRES/C AC0017a

CO NTENTS

PAGE NO.

Exec utive Summa ry ............................................................................................................ i

1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1Brief.................................................................................................................... 1

Sco pe of Rep ort ................................................................................................. 1

2. Nationa l Econ omic Overview .............................................................................. 3Retail Market ...................................................................................................... 3

Consume r Preferen ce s........................................................................................ 3

Deve lopm ent & Funding ..................................................................................... 4

Indep end ent Retailers......................................................................................... 5

Overview ............................................................................................................ 5

3. Relevant Policy ................................................................................................... 6PPG6 - Town Centres & Retail Develo pm ents...................................................... 6RPG13 - Regiona l Planning Guidanc e for th e North We st....................................6

Liverpo ol Unitary Develo pm ent Plan .................................................................... 6

Summa ry of Policy .............................................................................................. 7

4. Loca l Overview ................................................................................................... 8Con text..................................... ......................................................................... 8

Populatio n........................................................................................... ............... 8

Infrastructure ...................................................................................................... 10

Regene ration in Liverpo ol.................................................................................... 10

5. Individua l District & Local Centre Health Check s/SWOTAnaly sis............................12Health Chec ks.................................................................................................... 12

Strateg y Formulat ion ........................................................................................... 16

Regenera tion Initiatives.................................. ..................................................... 17

6. Retailing within Liverpool ..................................................................................... 18Overview ............................................................................................................ 18

City Cen tre....................................................................... .................................. 18

New Mersey Reta il Park........................................................................ ............... 19

Edg e Lane Retail Park....................................................... .................................. 19

Liver Industrial Estate.................. ......................................................................... 19

Stone da le Cross Reta il Park.................... ............................................................. 19

Deysbrook Barrac ks............................................................................................. 20

Brec k Roa d ...................................................................................................... ... 20

Norris Gree n .................................................................................................... ... 20

Belle Vale ........................................................................................................ ... 20

Ga rden Festival Site..................................................................... ....................... 20

Spe ke District Centre.............................. ............................................................. 20

North Liverpo ol ................................................................................................... 20Retail Market Ove rview ....................................................................................... 21

7. Strategy.......... .................................................................................................... 22

Strateg ic Consideration s ..................................................................................... 22

Structu re of Hierarchy......... ................................................................................. 22

North Liverpo ol ................................................................................................... 24

Policy .............................................................................................................. ... 25

Individual Cent res............................................................................................... 27

Promo tion & Marketing ....................................................................................... 31

8. Imp leme ntatio n............................................................................................... ... 33

Policy .............................................................................................................. ... 33

New Reta il Locat ions........................................................................................... 33Com pulsory Purchase Orde r............................................................................. ... 34

Environm enta l Improve me nts.............................................................................. 34

Town Cen tre Ma nag ers....................................................................................... 35

Crime & Disorde r.......................................................................... ....................... 35

Funding ........................................................................................................... ... 35

9. Conc lusions........................................................................................................ 37Overview ......................................................................................................... ... 37

Future Prospec ts.................................... ............................................................. 37

Key Recom mend ations ....................................................................................... 37

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Exec utive Summary

Introduction

1. This study reviews the district a nd loc al ce ntres of Liverpoo l to unde rstand their abilityto me et the need s of shopp ers, and where ap propriate, the requirements of retailers

and o ther town c entre users.

2. The repo rt draws on an assessment o f the UK retail market a nd ma rket perce ption s inLiverpool whilst analysing in depth the existing centres and appraising the options

available for mee ting retail needs within the City.

3. The study aims to p rovide an objec tive view of current retail facil i t ies in the Citysdistrict and local centres in order to establish the likely future prospects of these

centres and where, if app ropriate, improved facil it ies ca n be enc ouraged. The study

is not b ased on any a ssessment o f turnover and expenditure to determine levels of

ca pa city. It is more a qua litative/market real analysis which is pract ical and

pragmatic reflecting the circumstances of Liverpool City region, including the

regeneration c hallenges it is face d with.

National Economic Overview

4. Up until the end of 2001 spending witnessed a significant growth, fuelled by the lowestinterest rates in 32 years. High spending has been experienced , particularly on

electrical, comp uting and luxury goods and ge neral investor confidenc e in the retail

sector has improved througho ut the UK. This increase in spe nding ha s be en witne ssed

alongside retailers expanding rapidly, generally increasing thier total turnovers, but

few actua lly moving profits forward. The result has been a trend towards

consolidation, with retailers seeking larger space units in prime locations in order to

limit their risk profile. These units are rarely ava ilable. Interest from na tional multiple

retailers in areas outside these prime locations has been limited and more local

centres have suffered as they d o not have the profi le o r unit size to attract national

operators. In add ition, without change or improvement to accom mod ate and

com pete w ithin the ma rket, such c entres are dec lining on a na tional basis. Another

future trend is the internet shopping market which as yet has not had significant effect

on shopping p atterns but may do so in the future.

5. Consumer preferences effect shopping patterns and the vitality and viabil i ty ofindividua l centres. The study identifies five key consideration s including o ut of cen tre

facil i t ies, car parking, shopp ing environment, Sunday trading a nd range of

go od s/services. Eac h one of these considerations has a significa nt influenc e on

where p eop le shop a nd p rovides a context for assessing the individual ce ntres.

Development & Funding

6. Development activity has been largely directed towa rds shopp ing centres with strongdem and a nd inadeq uate existing stock, howeve r development op portunities rely on

the right socio-eco nomic p rofile to ensure that developm ent is a viable proposition.

In smaller centres development activity is often only likely to be viable if supported by

an anc hor operator .

7. Without the r ight tenants, the development economics of a scheme becomemarginal and fund ing oppo rtunities sca rce.

Indepe ndent Retailers

8. Independent retailers face difficult trading prospects, firstly signalled by an inability inmany c ases to afford to loc ate in the prime a rea of a c entre particularly within the

most prosperous centres. Independe nt retailers face a numb er of variable costs

which c an significantly affect their overall cash flow and therefore the viabil ity of their

business. In add ition there are further co sts of provid ing sec urity mea sures to prot ec t

their businesses if loca ted in undesirable a reas.

9. Independent retailers often secure only marginal returns from operating a retail unitwithin a centre and therefore they do not often have spare capital to improve the

app earanc e of their unit, resulting in the need for environmenta l improvements within

certain c entres as a who le.

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LIVERPOO L/LOCAL & DISTRICTCENTRES/C AC0017a ii

Relevant Policy

National and Regional Policy

10. In terms of relevant national and regional planning policy, a number of key inter-l inking principles are ap pa rent which relate to d istrict and loca l centres. National

policy clearly highlights the elements which should make up both district and local

centres and enc ourages local authorit ies to adop t policies to enable these centres to

meet the nee ds of residents.

11. Both current and emerging regional guidanc e highlights that the rege neration of theregions conurbations wil l be a regional priority and local authorit ies and other

regional ag enc ies should b e wo rking tog ether to p rovide ac cessible, desirable l iving

and w orking co nditions and t o take a cc ount of key principles identif ied in The

National Strategy for Neighbo urhood Renewal which includes reviving c ommunity/

local economies.

UDP Policy Con text

12. The UDP identifies that the vita lity and viab ility of district c entres will be m ainta inedand enhanc ed in o rder to secure the b est acc ess for the Citys residents to shopp ing

and ot her related fa cilities. Policy S7 looks specifica lly at promo ting the

enhance ment and maintena nce o f district c entres and seeks to co -ordinate p ublic

and private sector init iatives in order to secure various improvem ents for the c entres.

Local Overview

13. Liverpool has suffered substantial decline in its manufacturing and port basedindustries over time and particularly during the latter half of the 20 th century where

emp loyment fell by 1/3.

14. Since 1996 econo mic grow th has been rising, in particular in the public secto r areaand business service s sec tor.

15. Unemployment rates for Liverpool remains ab ove the na tional average a lthoughrates have w itnessed a significa nt improvem ent in the p ast 15 years.

Population

16. Acc ording to wa rd electorate forecasts Liverpools population is predicted to d eclinebetwe en 2001 and 2006, the population of Liverpool ha s been shrinking over the past

3 dec ad es, most significant ly betwe en 1981 and 2000. Liverpoo l is one o f the least

affluent c itys in Britain a nd the G overnments National Statistic Information da taba se

highlights this by outl ining a number of key indicators to identify the socio-

dem ograp hic status of Liverpoo l. The statistics data base a lso p rovides indices of

dep rivation b y ranking the 29 wards within Liverpool out o f a total o f 8,414 English

wards. All of Liverpools wards fall within the lowest 30% of the Index of Deprivation,

with 13 of the wa rds falling within the top 1% of mo st de prived wa rds.

17. There remains, howeve r, a City Counc il Policy to increse the po pulation of the Citysignificantly o ver a 20 year period.

Infrastructure

18. There a re a num ber of significa nt road links surround ing Liverpool with t he M62 linkingLiverpool with the M6 a nd Ma nchester. The Liverpool area a lso has the b enefit of the

M57/M58 and there are toll tunnels beneath the River Mersey providing direct links to

the M53/Wirral.

19. Liverpool has a relatively successful public transport network which links allco nurbations within the UDP area a nd b eyond with ac cess via trains and buses.

20. The Liverpool John Lennon Airport is currently being red evelop ed a nd is close tocompletion which wil l increase the capacity of passengers significantly over the

com ing years.

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21. A future foc us of investment in p ublic tra nsport is the p ropo sed Rapid TransitSche me . This sche me has evolved since the mid -1990s and a t present the public

co nsultation exercise is plan ned fo r the end of 2002 on a revised sche me. This

proposed tram system (Me rsey Tram) would operate by 3 routes from the City Centre,

extending out to the co nurbations of Liverpool.

Rege neration in Liverpool

22 The City Centre is the foc us of large of funding from a variety of sources, includingSRB6, NWDA, EP and Ob jec tive 1.

23 A Strateg ic Investment Fram ewo rk (SIF) is be ing worked up fo r the inner core of th ecity. The SIF will set the p aram eters for steering a v ariety of funding pa cka ges at

prob lems assoc iated with c ollapsing private housing markets. The SIF will identify bot h

housing c learance areas and tho se pa rts of the Inner Core, which wil l be suitable for

private sector ho using investment.

24 The SIF will guide the implem enta tion of th e Housing Market Renew al Initiative (HMRI).Liverpool, together with Sefton and Wirral have bee n designated b y the Gove rnment

as HMRI "Pathfind ers" and the SIF represents an imp ortant eleme nt in t his. The HMRI

targets housing areas whe re there is a d ec lining ma rket (in Liverpool ab out 70,000

houses in the inner core. It is hoped that a very large Housing Market Renewal Fund of

hundreds of mil l ions of pounds wil l be available to start bringing about changes in

these housing markets.

25. The North Liverpo ol Action Plan is be ing prep ared b y con sultant s. The Stud y areaincludes County Road, Brec k Road and G reat Homer Street ce ntres. The Eco nomic

Action Plan is to identify a series of key interventions and projects over a 10-year

timescale w hich wil l help stabil ise (o r increase) pop ulation levels in North Liverpool

and ensure a de gree o f ec onom ic self-sufficienc y. The Plan will also provide a

framework and economic justif ication for NWDA funding into this part of the city.

County Road and Breck Road could be recipients of this together with a potential

new c entre at Great Home r Street.

26. Ob ject ive 1 ap plies to the wh ole city and t o Merseyside as a whole. This is Liverpo olssource of Europea n money. Five areas are targeted for economic regene ration

funding, e.g. North Docks (Atlantic G atewa y), Edge Lane area (Eastern App roaches),

Spe ke Garston, Gillmoss and t he City Cent re. This co uld supply funding to Speke an d

Ga rston, Stoneb ridge C ross, Edg e Lane RWP, Old Swan a nd Edg e Hill.

Health Check/ Analysis

27. Following an an alysis of the 29 district a nd loc al ce ntres, the Study highlights the mostcom mon we aknesses that are associated with the centres. Of particular relevanc e is

that approximately 1/3 of Liverpools district and local centres have 3 or more key

wea knesses. This ana lysis is then p rogressed t o ident ify whethe r the district an d loc al

ce ntres mee t ba sic standa rds of retail provision. The result of this highlights that 11

centres do not provide the full range of services that would b e expec ted, although

some remain imp ortant retail loca tions for other reasons.

Strategy Formulation

28. It is clear that if retail provision within the City is to remain viable then any strategy willneed to b e p ragmatic and flexible whilst c ontaining sustainable principles to give

certainty to those investing in the a rea.

Retail-Led Regenera tion

29. There are ma ny regene ration initiatives within the City, at present many of whic hconta in retail uses which are required to generate value in suppo rt of regeneration

programmes. The Report highlights that the prospect o f sporadic retail developments

in suppo rt of regene ration plans ca n result in significa nt prob lems in bringing forward

mea ningful and sustaina ble de velop men t in existing district an d loca l ce ntres. This is

a matte r for the City Council to add ress and planning policy should ensure that the

right ba lance is struck betwee n enco uraging regeneration in approp riate loc ations

whilst not creating or worsening regeneration issues elsewhere such as the loc al and

district centres.

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Retailing within Liverpool

30. The City Ce ntre has 135,663 sq.m o f net c omp arison reta il floorspac e and is supp ortedby 15 district and 14 loc al cen tres, as defined in the Liverpoo l UDP. In add ition to

these, there are several loca l shopp ing pa rades which have no UDP designation.

31. The City also has a numb er of out of c entre non-food reta il facilities andaccommodates a significant number of foodstores, many of which are contained in

existing c entres.

32. In regard to the C ity Centre, a C ity Centre Retail Strateg y Repo rt in Februa ry 1999 wasundertaken by Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker (previously Healey & Baker)

which recommended extension to the City Centre main retail area equating to

75,000 sq.m (net) of net additional f loorspace which has become known as the

Paradise Street Deve lopment Area (Principa l Developme nt Area).

33.

The inclusion of this strateg y into Draft UDP Policy ha s now bee n end orsed by the UDPInspec tor. The Counc ils dev elopm ent partne r for the sche me is Grosvenor

Henderson and they received planning permission from Liverpool City Council in

Sep tem be r 2002.

34. This, in add ition to a numb er of ot her smaller reta il sche mes, is likely to d rama tica llyimprove the reta il quality in the City Centre o ver the co ming yea rs.

35. In relation to this study, the forthcoming improvements within the City Ce ntre is animportant fac tor in that this new found develope r confidence wil l help strengthen the

City as a whole and has the potential to encourage investors to Liverpool, although

the extent which this wil l benefit the area beyond the City Centre is currently

unce rtain. Howeve r, wha t is clea r is that the p rospe ct of this investment in the City

Centre should not be undermined with the promotion of retail facil i t ies that might

undermine the c omme rcial ca se for the PSDA.

Retail Market Overview

36. In order to provide a market real approach to the study, retailers have beencontacted to establish the extent of their requirements within the district and local

ce ntres of Liverpo ol. Their com men ts are fed into the analysis of individual cent res

and the subsequent strategy. It is apparent, however, that few na tional or regional

multiple retailers have a spiration s to take mo re floorspac e in Liverpo ol at present. As

a consequence, demand is muted, a large extent because of the quality of existing

centres and units.

Strategy

37. A strategy for retail provision within Liverpool is not straight forward and unlikely toresult in immed iate c hang es in terms of the retail performa nce w ithin Liverpoo l. The

study id entif ies four elements to be include d in a strateg y which include:

(i)

Strategic considerations about reta il loca tions;(ii) Our policy framew ork for taking forward retail ing in Liverpool and suppo rting

district a nd loc al ce ntres;

( i ii ) Speci f ic provisions for indiv idual c entres;

(iv) Promotion a nd m arketing.

Strateg ic Consideration s

38. In order to fully consider the strategic considerations and recommendations putforward to the City Counc il, a hierarchy of retail centres has been devised as a useful

instrument for policy f ormulation.

39. The hierarch y outlines which ce ntres should b e de fined a s district c entres, whichshould be re-branded as neighbourhood centres, which should have their

bound aries reviewed and which should b e de -designate d as retail centres. Within

this process and of most significance is the identification of 2 centres of strategic

importance which include Allerton Road d istrict centre a nd O ld Swan district centre..

It is considered that these centres should be the focus of new investment for retail,

commercial and community uses.

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40. These ce ntres have p ote ntial for grow th with a d iversity of uses serving the south andce ntral parts of the City. They are ac ce ssible and ha ve the ab ility to serve large parts

of the pop ulation. The north of the City has lower order reta il ce ntres, and no o ne

centre has strategic significance. At this stage , the conc entration should be o n

enhanc ing retail gene rally through the defined and p roposed centres.

41. The study then focuses on a range of retail ba sed proposals/idea s within Liverpoolincluding:

The prospec t of a new d istrict centre a t Speke d istrict c entre; The p rospec t of a ne w d istrict centre at Stonedale Cross; The prospect of a ne ighbourhood centre a t Deysbrook Barrac ks; Reloca tion of Great Homer Street loc al c entre onto Taylor Street industrial estate;

Policy

42. The study suggests to the Co uncil that p olicy relating to the district a nd loc al ce ntresshould not threaten d elivery of the Paradise Street Developm ent Area proposals,

although a policy framew ork for the ex isting centres should be positive in order to

crea te certa inty for those seeking to invest or trade from such ce ntres. In ad dition,

policy should also seek to protect appropriate investment in these centres and the

trading prospec ts of those ce ntres from the threat of inapp ropriate d evelopme nt

elsewhere.

43. The study also recom mends to the Co uncil that the pa rt of the centres which havebeen identif ied to be d edesignated should be red efined as intermediate a reas

where the p roposect of alternative uses coul d b e c onsidered on a flexible ba sis and

Comp ulsory Purchase may b e ac tively pursued in orde r to renew these areas.

44. The study also sugg ests that supp lemen tary plann ing guida nce is dev ised to e nsurethat new d evelopm ent propo sals secure ma ximum benefits for the loca l area.

45. The study highlights that p olicy to support and protec t existing ce ntres is a m atterwhich needs to be pursued through the UDP and therefore the responsibility of

Liverpo ol City Council. The City Counc il will also be respo nsible for produc ing

guidance/policy for those areas where new retail locations are considered

accep tab le .

Individual Centres

46. This pa rt of the strategy d raws on the individua l analysis of ea ch c entre in Sec tion 5and has been ref ined to recommend potent ia l act ions for each centre.

47. As previously mentioned, it is considered that two existing district centres shouldbecome strategic centres where investment should be focused with the potential of

town c entre manag ers being introduced. These include Allerton Road and Old Swan.

In regard to the remainder of the district centres a number of recommendations are

attac hed to eac h in order to help ma intain their status now and in the future. These

include recommendations such as enhancing the environmental characteristics of

the centre, providing additional pedestrian l inks, formulation of crime and safety

strategies.

48. It has also been reco mmend ed that a number of centres are dow ngraded a s theydo not, and are unlikely to, function effectively in the future and therefore a

constriction of their retail offer is considered the m ost appropriate w ay of maintaining

their status.

New Retail Loca tions

49. To aug ment e xisting provision, it is co nsidered that ne w c entres should b e identified a tStoned ale Cross, Speke a nd Scotland Road . In reality, these are existing retail

locations that require relocation, upgrade and enhanced prominence to make them

function ad equa tely. There is also the prospec t of a neighbourhood centre a t

Deysbroo k Barrac ks.

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LIVERPOO L/LOCAL & DISTRICTCENTRES/C AC0017a vi

Promotion & Marketing

50. Following the assessment of the individual centres and the recommendations of astrategy for their future the study identif ies that monitoring and performance of the

district and neighbourhood centres should be undertaken in orde r to progress with

the ove rall strategy. It is sugge sted that the Counc il ensures these centres are

reviewed and a ssessed in line with the strate gy. It is also rec omm end ed tha t Town

Centre Managers should be introduced within certain centres in order to

maintain/improve them on a d ay to day basis. The centres identif ied most likely to

benefit are Allerton Road , Old Swan, Broadwa y, County Road, Aigburth Road,

Smithdow n Road North, Walton Va le, Woolton, Wavertree High Street and London

Road.

51. The role of the Town Centre Mana ger would be w ide ranging and involve creatingretailer groups, organising events, securing funds for improvements, producing a

security and crime strateg y, marketing the centre, c o-ordinating retailers so tha t they

may b enef i t f rom a d ia logue wi th one another .

Implementation

52. The study highlights that key to the imp lement ation o f the iden tified strate gy is afocused approach co-ordinated with existing regeneration init iatives that are

currently being p ursued throughout the City. At present there are many rege neration

bodies operating throughout the City, none of which have spec ific responsibil ity for

the district and loca l centres.

53. As highlighted previously, it is considered that in order to co-ordinate the strategy,secure funds, develop policy and ensure the policy is not undermined, responsibility

needs to be assumed within the City Council for the district and local centres of

Liverpool. In due course, this may b eco me the role of individual town centre

managers.

Environmental Improvements

54. It is clear that significant scope exists for environmental improvement to all of thecentres and funding for these improvem ents is a key issues with a num ber of sources

ava ilable which a re generally channeled through the NWDA. We consider priority

should go to the d istrict c entres.

55. The study highlights that there is a ba lance b etwe en the be nefits assoc iated w ithenvironmental improvements and the potential uplift in the trading prospect of

individual centres in that there w ould nee d to b e a rea l return from investment from

environmenta l improvem ents in order for them to be w orthwhile. It sugge sted tha t a

pilot project in one or two centres is undertaken in this regard to see whether the

ba lance can be me t .

Town Centre Mana gers

56.

As previously mentioned, Town Centre Ma nagers could ha ve p otentially an importantrole to play w ithin the district a nd loc al ce ntres of Liverpool. It is considered tha t

marketing and promoting a centre is part of the role, as is understanding the business

of the retailers that a re locat ed within the individua l ce ntres. They will also wo rk

closely with the City Counc il in pursuing individual strategies.

Crime & Disorder

57. Within the o ptions for the centre the Study identif ied tha t a crime and safety strateg yshould be con side red for a numbe r of ce ntres. There are a numb er of funds ava ilable

and the Home Office ha s identif ied Liverpool a s being a key priority area. It is

considered tha t the formulation of such a strategy should be c o-ordinated b y the C ity

Counc il, loca l retailer groups or by any future town ce ntre manag er.

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Conclusions

58. While the district and local c entres in Liverpool fa ce significant cha llenges if they a reto survive, this study sets a framewo rk for making th em m ore co mp etitive. Their revival

wil l not be immediate but with focused and co-ordinated efforts, the City should be

able to c reate a netwo rk of vital and viable retail centres to mee t mode rn shoppe r

requirements.

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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker (C&W/H&B) have b een instructed by LiverpoolCity Council to advise on the future of the Citys district and local centres and their

ab il ity to meet the future need s of local com munity.

1.2 The study brief requires a fresh a pproac h to reviewing district and local c entres tounderstand their abil i ty to meet the needs of shoppers and where appropriate the

requirement s of retailers and othe r town c entre users. This requires an a pp reciation o f

the UK retail market, an assessment of market perceptions in Liverpool, a critical

analysis of existing centres and an a ppraisal of the o ptions available within the City.

1.3 For a study of this type to be an effective tool for future policy decisions andimplementation, it must be market real, ie. cap able o f implementation, whilst taking

an inclusive ap proa ch to retail facilities. Significant de velop ment is be ginning to take

place in Liverpool in different prope rty secto rs and at d ifferent levels of the market

giving confide nce in the city as a loc ation to invest.

1.4 Liverpool is benefit ing from a number of rege neration programme s througho ut theCity which have a ttracted strong levels of funding. Many regene ration init iatives are

being assessed at present and several different agencies have emerged with

regeneration responsibilities including Liverpool City Council, Liverpool Vision, NWDA,

North Liverpo ol Partnership, Kensingto n New Dea l, Liverpo ol First to nam e but a fe w.

Particular regeneration initiatives include extensive Housing Renewal Programmes,

pa rticularly in North Liverpo ol, the Eastern App roac hes, the Strateg ic Investment

Framewo rk and the significa nt deve lopment propo sals for the City Centre.

1.5 In suppo rt of the City Centre, Liverpool c urrently has 15 district and 14 local c entres,toget her with a numb er of more loca l shopp ing parade s. The quality of the centres

differ widely.

1.6 Whilst certain centres have a reasonably good range of shops and services and servethe community well, others are characterised by high vacancies, low environmental

quality, crime, poor retail ing and these centres represent major regeneration

challenges, for the City Council to tac kle.

Brief

1.7 The City Counc il has spe cifica lly reco gnised that the d istrict and loc al cen tres requirea c oheren t strateg y. The purp ose is to ensure that the City is prop erly served in terms

of retail facili t ies and that the loca l community has easy acc ess to da y to day go ods

and services, without the need to visit the City Centre.

1.8 The c urrent structure of d istrict and loca l centres is key to m eeting this need but it isacknowledged that the current network of centres may not be sufficient to meet all

of the City residents needs, nor indeed are the centres necessarily pe rforming tha t

func tion at present. There is little dispute th at the ma jority of the district an d loca l

centres have deteriorated over the past 20-25 years with l imited investment and

increasing levels of dec ay and dereliction.

1.9 The Co uncil requires, therefore, a study which provides an ob jective view of thecurrent reta il facilities in the City. The study should then ta ke the b est reta il market

information, at a national and local level, to establish the likely future prospects of

these centres and whether a pro-active role can be taken to encourage improved

facil i t ies, where these a re necessary and where there is a go od prospec t of a chieving

succe ss.

1.10 This study is not, the refore, ba sed o n an a nalysis of turnove r and exp end iture tode termine levels of ca pa city. Such ana lyses ca n represent useful indica tors of sco pe

but need to be all ied to a proper assessment of market demand and can seriously

misrepresent the prospec ts of an a rea. In this ca se, the ap proac h is more prac tical

and pragmatic, reflecting the circumstances of Liverpool City region, including the

significa nt regeneration c hallenges that it face s.

Scope of Report

1.11 Sect ion 2 of this Report provides a broad e con omic o verview, including the reta ilmarket generally and c onsumer dema nd. Section 3 highlights the relevant po licy

including Government, Regional and Local. Section 4 reviews the more imme diate

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eco nomic c ircum stanc es of Liverpool, including ge neral retail market pe rceptions,

regeneration in Liverpool and a spec ific mention of North Liverpool.

1.12 Sec tion 5 reviews the health ch ec ks for eac h of the district and loc al cent res, drawingtog ethe r the strengt hs, wea knesses, opp ortunities and threat s (SWOT ana lysis) that

preva il. This section ou tlines the op tions that will exist for the individua l centres,

depe nding on the strategy determined for retail ing w ithin Liverpool and the c entres

on a c ollective ba sis.

1.13 Sec tion 6 provide s a description of existing reta il facilities in Liverpoo l and imm edia telybeyo nd its bou nda ries. This sec tion includes the City Centre, district and loc al

centres, out of ce ntre facil i t ies together with c urrent and prospective retail proposals

that ma y effect shopping pa tterns of beha viour within the City.

1.14 Sec tion 7 conside rs the strate gy for the district and loc al cent res bot h collec tively andindividually and Section 8 of the report de als with the po tential implementat ion

options for the strategy, whilst Sect ion 9 con clude s the report.

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2. NATIONAL ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Retail Ma rket

2.1 Over the past 12-18 months, retail spending has witnessed significant growth with likefor like sales for 2001 running well ahead of 2000, with only a temporary slowdown

following the wor ld event s of Sep tem ber 2001. The increa se in spen ding is fuelled b y

the lowest interest rates in 32 years giving consumers more available expenditure and

making the cost of borrowing c heaper.

2.2 Only in the seco nd q uarter of 2002 are spending figures beg inning to slow, althoug hat this stage not sufficiently to rep resent a n ab solute trend.

2.3 High spending, particularly on electrical, computer and luxury goods has beenwitnessed, tog ether with stead y but impressive growth in the c lothing and fo otwea r

secto r. Consumers co ntinue to spend app roximately 26% of their non-foo d

expend iture on c lothes.

2.4 In general, investor confidence in the retail sector has improved throughout the UK,altho ugh wid e variation s exist as a result of loca lised fa cto rs. Retailers have b ec ome

much m ore comp etit ive in an attemp t to secure greater market share and m ergers

and ta ke-overs are now a com mon c haracteristic of the retail, f inancial and cate ring

markets.

2.5 What ha s eme rged a re retailers seeking larger spa ce units in prime loc ations, whic hare rarely availab le. Interest from multiple reta ilers in areas outside these prime

locations has been limited and more localised centres without the crit ical mass of

retail ing, profi le or unit size to attract national op erators have suffered. Without

fundam ental and often radica l change, aga inst the bac kground of an intensively

com petit ive ma rket, such c entres wil l co ntinue to dec line.

2.6 With this increased co mpetit iveness and improved spend ing, a significant numb er ofnational multiple retailers are performing reasonably well (although may not

necessarily be more profitable). Such retailers take a dvanta ge o f their greater buying

power, economies of scale and their abil i ty to pay higher rents than more local

operato rs. Many independ ent retailers have continued to lose market share and

multiples are bec oming even mo re dominant in the market.

2.7 Overall, the retail market is increasingly witnessing the polarisation and concentrationof retail ing, with increasing c omp etit ion for the strongest centres and prime locations.

Deman d for smaller centres is being a dversely affec ted a s a c onsequence .

2.8 Internet shopping has emerged as another retail medium but has not yet had theeffects on shopp ing patterns that some c omme ntators init ial ly predicted . Internet

spending principally relates to books, CDs, DVDs, etc. where internet spending

growth has been ap preciable.

Consumer Preferences

2.9 Whilst consumer preferences vary on a regional basis, there are five keyconsiderations which a ffect shop ping pa tterns and the vitality and viabili ty of

individual ce ntres.

i. Out of c entre fac ili t ies;ii. Car p arking;iii. Shopp ing environment;iv . Sunday trad ing; andv . Range of go ods and services.

(i) Out of Ce ntre Facil i t ies

2.10 There is currently in the region o f 3 million sq.m of p rima ry retail floorspa ce in off-centre loc ations, accounting for app roximate ly one third of a ll retail sales (Source:

Verdict ). That off-cent re provision is seen as a direc t respo nse to comm unity dema nd

for such fac ilities as well as difficult ies experienced by some ope rators in securing

suitable premises within town ce ntres. Benefits include eco nomies of sca le and

improved margins for operators.

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2.11 The gene ral acc essibility of these loc ations, ample free ca r parking, rang e of goo dsand com petit ive p rices often makes these loca tions highly attrac tive to the shopping

public.

(ii) Ca r Parking

2.12 Whilst ope n to regional variations, most people w ho have acc ess to a c ar chose touse it to shop, w here po ssible. This mea ns those c entres with car p arking bene fit, as

they are easier to use, and major retail facil i t ies with ample free surface level car

parking, have an advantage over inner-urban centres, with l imited and often

charged parking.

(iii) Shopp ing Environmen t

2.13 Various consumer surveys indicate increasing concern by the shopping public forquality urban environments, comfort, convenienc e and secure shopping streets. This

plays an important pa rt in shopp er activity.

(iv) Sunda y Trading

2.14 This represents one o f the mo st significa nt influences on shopp ing pa tterns and in th eretail market over recent yea rs. Whilst most comm only associa ted w ith foodstores

and retail park facilities, since 1993 legislation has allowed high streets to open for

Sunda y trading .

2.15 Sunda y shop ping is po pular with shopp ers as it provides an alternat ive to Saturd ay forfamily or group shopping outings which cannot take place at any other time.

Shop pe rs increa singly use their leisure time in whic h to shop, whic h pa rticularly bene fit

attrac tive or historic ce ntres, which offer other a ttractions.

2.16 What has emerged are larger centres, or centres with other catering and leisurefac ilities op ening on a Sunday whilst othe r centres do not have t he critica l mass of

retailers with Sunda y trading, to ma ke the propo sition worthwhile. In particular, loca l

and smaller district centres suffer, where the costs of opening a store can often

outwe igh the da ys takings.

(v) Range of Goo ds/Services

2.17 Many centres offer a diverse range of services to support the retail function of thecentre. The leisure and restaurant/c atering/b ar market has expand ed rapidly in

recent years and whilst its growth is showing, a number of centres have benefited

from improve d service s. These types of use ca n draw shopp ers to a c entre and result

in longer dw ell-times. Such uses ca n also enhan ce the vita lity and via bility of a ce ntre

and improve the shopping environment.

2.18 Other town centre support uses can also encourage greater usage of a shoppingcentre such as l ibraries, health ce ntres, employm ent offices, etc. These can b e

pa rticularly important for older me mbe rs of society, often referred to a s the greying

consumer, who tend to look for a range and mix of retail ing and services to provide

a foc us for their shopp ing ac tivity.

Development & Funding

2.19 Development activity has largely been d irecte d tow ards larger shopp ing centres withstrong latent dema nd and inadequa te existing stock. Such developme nt

opp ortunities rely on the right socio-econom ic profi le to ensure that developm ent is a

viable proposition.

2.20 Within smaller centres development activity is often concentrated on individual sitesand und ertaken for a named operato r such as a foodstore or fast food ope rator. In

many smaller centres development a ctivity is only l ikely to be viable if supported by a

foodstore operator who generally develop direct, or through an associated

developer .

2.21 More m ixed-use schemes are now b eing deve loped out, where the rea l value is fromresiden tial uses over a shop unit, within an existing ce ntre. The value of residential

prope rty is key to influence the deve lopme nt act ivity.

2.22 Funding for development opportunities is weak in marginal retail locations.Spec ulative schem es are unlikely to receive bac king unless an ancho r store and

significan t lettings to multip le retailers have b een secured . A higher income return on

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a lowe r cap ital outlay reflects the increased funding risk. The prospect of this type o f

schem e c oming forwa rd in a trad itional loca l or district c entre are l imited, unless the

centre either trades well or has the pote ntial to do so.

2.23 Some property com panies are now a cquiring p urpose b uilt shopping c entres, oftenolder-style 1960s and 70s district and local centres, with a view to enhancing their

investment through redevelop ment a nd/ or refurbishment a nd extension. This does

require a capital outlay and relies on improving the range and quality of retailers

within the centre in order to improve the va lue of the investment.

2.24 These situations reflect real op po rtunities to enha nce the reta iling fac ilities with in acentre.

Independent Retailers

2.25 Unlike national multiple retailers (defined as a retailer with more than 10 existingstores) inde pend ent retailers operate off significantly d ifferent trading profi les.

2.26 A national multiple retailer benefits from economies of scale associated with its largerbuying power and can shift resources between individual operations in order to

maximise turnover a nd p rofitabil ity.

2.27 Independent retailers generally operate from individual units and due to c ost, ca nnotafford to locate within the most prime parts of existing centres or necessarily in the

most thriving centres.

2.28 The c ost base associated with an independ ent retailer includes rent, rates, taxes,salaries, store upkee p, stoc k purchasing and insuranc e. Change s in any of these

variable co sts can ha ve significant implications for overall cash flow and the viab ili ty

of a business.

2.29 Additional costs associated with, for instance, high crime levels, can also beprohibitive including increased insurance premiums and the cost of enhanced

security m ea sures (roller shutters, alarms, CC TVs).

2.30 If the fortunes of an indep endent retailer dec line, then c uts in their cost base oftenhave to take plac e and investment in the stores app earanc e is often the first item to

be remo ved . This explains why the app ea rance o f certain ce ntres is po or as it reflect s

the m arginality of the b usinesses loc ated there.

2.31 Indeed, many retailers limit their liability to insurance and their bills associated withstatutory services such a s lighting, electricity, etc. b y only op ening a t p eak p eriods

such a s Satu rday s.

2.32 This explains to a large extent w hy national m ultiple retailers are a ble to dea l moreeffec tively with chang es in the trad ing profi le of individual stores.

Overview

2.33 District and local centres face significant challenges as a result of a number ofnational econo mic circumstanc es:

(i) Increase in national multiple retailers at the expense of independentretailers;

(ii) National multiple retailer requirements polarising towards larger centresand larger units, in order to minimise risk;

( ii i) The g rowth o f ou t -o f -cen t re f ac i li ti es, w it h t he i r t rad ing advan tages;

(iv) Usually limited ca r parking c ompa red to larger town c entres and out-of-cent re fa cil i t ies;

(v) Sunda y trad ing law s favouring larger c entres and out -of-centre fac ili t ies;and

(vi) Limited deve loper/fund ing a ctivity within smaller ce ntres as risks too grea t.

2.34 The next section of th is report go es on to con side r these nat ional trends in the cont extof the Liverpoo l sub-region.

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3. RELEVA NT POLICY

PPG6 - Town Cen tres and Retail Develop me nts (June 1996)

3.1 PPG6 is the principa l national planning p olicy which g uides retail albeit supported byPPG1 Gene ral Policy and Princip les (Feb ruary 1997) and PPG13 Transport (M arc h

2001).

3.2 As part of the overall objective of PPG6 the Guidance highlights that loca l authoritiesshould ado pt p lanning policies to enab le district a nd loca l centres to meet the need s

of residents in the area in order to safegua rd and strengthen e xisting ce ntres in both

urban and rural areas which offer a range of everyday community, shopping and

employment o ppo rtunities.

3.3 More specifically, the Guidance identifies district centres as g roups of shop s,separate from the town centre, usually containing at least one food supermarket or

super store, and non-reta il service s such as banks, building societies and restau rants.

Loca l centres are described a s a small grouping usually co mprising a ne wsagent, a

general groce ry store, a sub-post office and occ asionally a p harmacy, a hairdresser

and other small shops of a loc al nature .

3.4 The Guida nce g oes on to explain that loc al authorit ies should enc ourage, throughtheir planning policies and actions, a wide range of facil i t ies in district and local

centres, consistent with the scale and func tion of the ce ntre, to meet p eop les day t o

day ne eds, thus reducing the ne ed to travel. The Guidanc e also highlights that p ost

offices and p harmac ies in existing district and local c entres should b e retained, a nd

discourag ed in out of centre retail developme nt.

Regiona l Planning Guida nce for the North West (RPG13)

3.5 The e xisting RPG13 (1996) is currently in the latte r stag es of review. The d raftGuidance contains policies on housing, transport, economic development,

environment, minerals and waste to provide a framewo rk for loca l authority land use

plans and loc al transport plans up to 2021.

3.6 A Public Exhibition p anel repo rt has been produc ed in response to representationsmad e on the draft guida nce a nd the Secretary of State has proposed chang es to

the d raft RPG.

3.7 The dra ft Guida nce states within Policy UR1 that the sustainable regene ration of theurban p arts of the regions conurbations and o ther regeneration priority areas will be

a regional priority. The Guidanc e ad vises that local authorit ies and o ther regiona l

agencies should work together to provide accessible, desirable l iving and working

co nditions and to take ac count o f the key principles identif ied in The National

Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewa l which includes reviving c ommunities/loca l

eco nomies and ensuring the delivery of dec ent services. This app roach is reinforced

by Policy EC6 which highlights in paragraph 5.42 that loca l authorities will need to

work with loca l partners to rede fine the role of smaller centres that are expe riencing

ec ono mic dec line and dec entralisation to retain co mmunity facil it ies and ensure their

cont inued econo mic act iv i ty

Liverpool Unitary Develop ment Plan (2000)

3.8 The Liverpoo l City Cou ncil UDP (2002) ide ntifies in Policy S5 that t he vita lity andviabil ity of the district c entres wil l be maintained and enhance d in order to secure the

be st ac ce ss for the Citys residents to shop ping a nd ot her related fa cilities. The text

supporting this policy explains that a diversity of uses in district centres is fundamental

to their succ ess, including the role of leisure and the evening eco nomy. It goes on to

explain that the district centres are well served by public transport services, and are

ac cessible by foot and bicyc le to the immediate pop ulation. District c entres are

therefore accessible to most members of the community, including those without

ac cess to a c ar which is impo rtant due to low c ar owne rship levels within Liverpool.

3.9 Policy S6 of the UDP promo tes reta il develop men t within district c entres and highlight sthat shopping provision and investment is an essential element of district centres

vitality and viabil i ty and serves to und erpin the othe r facil i t ies provided. Policy S7

goes even further in promoting the enhancement and maintenance of district

centres and seeks to co-ordinate public and private sector init iatives in order to

secure:

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(i) Refurbishment and expansion and redevelop ment of existing retail premises;(ii) Maintenanc e of shopping function a nd primary retail frontages;(i i i) Environmenta l improvements, including improvement to the quality of shopp ing

frontages, the safety, security, comfort and convenience of pedestrians and

enhancement of op en spac es;

(iv) Improve ment to the transport infrastructure - in pa rticular to public transportand c ycling facil it ies - and improving the quality and quantity of car parking

provision;

(v) The reuse of vac ant up pe r floors, partic ularly for resident ial uses;(vi) Provision of add itional social, leisure and c omm unity fac ilities; and(vii) The retention of larger de velopme nt sites, where possible, for retail

development .

Summa ry of Policy

3.10 The p lanning policy framew ork at nationa l level encourage s Loca l Authorit ies toprovide a wide rang e of fac ili t ies to meet the need s of local co mmunities. This

guidance fi l ters into regional policy which is current in terms of recognising that

com munities/c entres are in need of reviving a nd relationships are c onsidered to be

key in rede fining or ma intaining District or Loca l Centres.

3.11 At a local level the Liverpool Unitary Development Plan supports the ab ove p rincipleswith policy seeking to encourage investment in order to enhance and maintain

cent res and suppo rt key regeneration ob jectives.

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4. LOCAL OVERVIEW

Context

4.1 Liverpo ol is the princip al retail ce ntre in Merseyside and the second largest City in the

north-west of England . Formerly one of the most impo rtant trading a nd industrial

ce ntres in the British Empire, Liverpoo l has long suffered substantia l dec line in its

manufacturing and port-based industries, and this has led to high unemployment

through recent dec ades and a decl ine in populat ion.

4.2 Liverpools emp loyment ba se c ontracted massively during the latter half of the 20th Centu ry. Between 1981 and 1996, tota l emp loyment in the City fell by a third. This

represented the largest fall in emp loyment, bo th in absolute a nd p ercentage terms of

any UK City over that p eriod.

4.3 However, since 1996 employment growth has resumed at a rate slightly ahead ofcom parab le centres, with emp loyment growth strongest in the public sector -

educa tion, health an d pub lic a dministration, although there has also be en growth in

bu siness service s (Sou rce : Prom is 2002).

4.4 Employment in Liverpool continues to be biased towards larger organisations withalmost 24% of all jobs within firms employing more than 500 people, slightly above

average levels (18%).

4.5 Service secto r employm ent fell by 14% in Liverpoo l during the p eriod 1981-1991, instark contrast to the double digit growth witnessed in other comparable centres

(Source : Promis 2002). During the latt er half of the 1990s, em ploym ent numb ers

increa sed substantially within the service secto r. The influx of large c all centres has

mainly been responsible for this trend. Operato rs of such facil i t ies include Cap ital

Bank, Abb ey Nationa l, Alliance & Leicester and Barclay ca rd. Swiss Life has recently

relocate d its Crosby -based c lient service ca ll ce ntre to larger premises at the Alb ert

Doc k in Liverpoo l, with a transfer of 500 jobs. ITGroup Seven C (7C) is currently in the

proc ess of rec ruiting up t o 700 staf f for its new multi-lingua l call centre at the

ma tch works site in Spe ke.

4.6 The Local Autho rity remains the largest single emp loyer in the Liverpoo l area. Othermajor emp loyers include the health service, Police and in particular, the Citys three

universities, whic h have seen substantia l growth d uring the 1990s.

4.7 Retailing and leisure are important sources of employment in Liverpool, although inthe c ase of retail ing, employme nt in this secto r currently falls slightly be hind nationa l

averag e figures by ap proximately 2-3%.

4.8 Manufacturing employment in the Liverpool area is concentrated in a small numberof large firms, principally active within a limited range of activities, notably vehicles,

food and d rink and che micals/pharmac euticals.

4.9 After many years of negative news, Fords announcement in 2000, regarding theproduction of the new X400 Baby Jaguar car, at their Halewood Plant, has had a

major effect on the local manufacturing sector, safeguarding the 1,800 existing jobs

and c reating 500 new jobs. The announc ement a lso triggered a numbe r of positive

announc ements from associated suppliers including the US based Lear Corporation

with Conix and Visteon, bo th opening ne w fac tories ad joining the Halewoo d Plant.

4.10 There have also b een m ajor job losses in the last 1-2 years including Marc oni andGlaxoSmithkline.

4.11 Overall, at 6.2% the unem ployment rate for the Liverpool travel to w ork area is wellabove the national average of 2.6%, although the local rate has witnessed a

significant improvement in employment rates over the past 15 years, from

unemployment rate of 19% in June 1987, 15% in June 1993 and 13% in June 1996

(Sourc e: O NS).

Population

4.12 In 2001 Liverpools population was 340,481 and is predicted to be 338,928 in 2006ac cording to ward e lectorate fo recasts (Source: Liverpool City Council).

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4.13 The c atc hment is densely pop ulated b ut has been shrinking over the pa st threedec ade s, and the d ecrease during 1981-2000, of 10%, is the most significant outflow

of pop ulation of all the principal cit ies. A further dec line in the ca tchme nt pop ulation

is forec ast ove r the pe riod to 2005 (Sourc e: 1991 Census ONS).

4.14 Liverpo ol is one of the least affluent cite s in Britain. The Gove rnment s nationa lstatistic information da tab ase highlights a numb er of key indicat ors which outl ine the

socio-dem ograp hic status of Liverpool a s a w hole:

Non-car ownership is abo ve the na tional averag e by a pproximate ly 20%; Household o wnership is ap proximately 15% below the na tional averag e.

4.15 The statistics data ba se also provides indices of dep rivation by ranking the 29 wa rdswithin Liverpoo l out of a tota l of 8,414 English ward s. The index dra ws togeth er fact ors

covering income, employment, health and disabil i ty, education skil ls and training,

housing a nd g eograp hical ac cess to services.

4.16 The tab le below outl ines the rankings of eac h of the w ards.

Table 1 Index of Deprava tion by Liverpool Ward

Ward Ranking out of 8,414

(Rank 1 Being the Most Deprived Ward

in England )

Spe ke 2

Everton 4

Vauxhall 6

Granby 10

Pirrie 11

Breckfield 12

Me lrose 24

Clubmore 26

Sm ithd o w n 28

Dovecot t 34

Ward Ranking out of 8,414

(Rank 1 Being the Most Deprived Ward

in England )

Netherly 44

Kensington 48

St. Ma rys 86

Valley 125

County 168

Dingle 215

Tueb rook 235

Fazakaley 262

Anfield 268

Broa dg reen 283

Pict on 328

Old Swa n 340

Gilmoss 349

Warbreck 431

Arundel 886

Croxteth 1244

Allerton 1249

Aigburth 1419

Woolton 2172

Chu rch 2483

Grassendale 2530

Childwall 2598Sourc e: Nation al Stat istic Dat ab ase Indice s of Deprivat ion, 2000

4.17 Key facto rs to not e are tha t all 32 wa rds within the City fall within the lowest 30% of theindex of deprivation, with 13 of the wards falling within the top 1% of most deprived

wards. Liverpool has 6 of the top 15 most dep rived w ards in the Country and Speke,

in particular, is the seco nd m ost deprived wa rd in England.

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4.18 There are variations in prosperity within the area . Amo ngst the more affluent loca tionsare Aigburth, Allerton and Woolton to the south.

4.19 Although per c apita retail expenditure is below average , Liverpools highly pop ulatedcatc hment area ge nerates a large poo l of c ompar ison spending.

Infrastructure

4.20 The M62 p rovides a fast l ink from Merseyside to the M6 a nd M anc hester, while theM57 bypass, to the north-east of the conurbation, connects the M62 to the M58

further to the no rth. Two to ll tunne ls, bene ath th e River Mersey, provide d irect links to

the Wirral and the M53.

4.21 Public transpo rt within the Liverpo ol area is relatively well develop ed. In pa rticular,ARRIVA Trains Merseyside (forme rly Mersey Rail) ope rate t wo well pa tronised services,

the Wirral Line, extending under the River Mersey, links Liverpool with West Kirby,

Ellesmere Port, New Brighton a nd C hester. The Northe rn Line links Liverpo ol with

Ormskirk, Kirkby, South po rt and Hunts Cross. Both the lines op erat e und ergroun d

benea th Liverpool City C entre, l inking the c itys four principa l rail stations and thus

offering an efficient mea ns of travel within the central c ore.

4.22 A complete redevelopment of the existing terminal facil i t ies at the Liverpool JohnLennon Airport is currently underway. The de velopm ent, scheduled for com pletion in

Mid-2002, wil l increase c ap ac ity to 4.5 million p assengers per ye ar (Source: Liverpool

City Counc il).

4.23 The ma in focus of infrastructure spend ing is pub lic transport, with the largest projectbe ing the prop osed rapid tra nsit sche me. The first version of this scheme w as the

subject of a public inquiry at the end o f 1998; the Secretary of States subsequent

report in 1999, rejected the scheme, primarily on the grounds that it would be

judgm enta l to existing bus service s. However, a co mmitm ent to rap id transit provision

wa s ma intained in the Merseyside Loca l Transport Plan a nd M erseytrave l with

Liverpool and Knowsley Councils submitted a business case for the revised scheme in

mid-2001. A pub lic consultation exercise is planne d for end of 2002 subject to

business case ap proval.

4.24 The new schem e, entit led MerseyTram, would b e elec trica lly pow ered, and run alongthree routes, the first of which wo uld go from Kirkby through Croxteth and Old Swan to

the City Centre. The second route wo uld run from the Albert Dock to the C ity Centre

then onto Page Mo ss, whilst the third would extend from the City Centre to the Speke

Garston area a nd serve Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

4.25 Other public transport schemes in the pipeline include a substantial increase in buspriority co rridors and a ne w suburban railway station a t Allerton.

Regene ration in Liverpool

4.26 The City Cent re is the foc us of large of funding from a variety of sources, includingSRB6, NWDA, EP an d O bjec tive 1.

4.27 A Strat eg ic Investme nt Fram ewo rk (SIF) is being worked up for the inne r core of thecity (roughly that area within Queens Drive the inner city minus the City Ce ntre) by

co nsultant s. The Inner Core a rea a lso includ es South Sefton and Wirral and very muc h

foc uses on "inner Me rseyside". The SIF will set th e p ara met ers for stee ring a v ariety o f

funding packages at problems associated with collapsing private housing markets.

The SIF will ident ify both ho using c learanc e area s and tho se pa rts of the Inner Core,

which wil l be suitable for p rivate secto r housing investment. .

4.28 The SIF will guide the implem enta tion of the Housing M arket Renewa l Initiative (HMRI).Liverpool, together with Sefton a nd Wirral have b een d esignate d b y the Gove rnment

as HMRI "Pathfind ers" and the SIF represents an im porta nt e lemen t in th is. The HMRI

targets housing a reas where there is a d eclining ma rket (in Liverpool ab out 70,000

houses in the inner core. It is hoped that a very large Housing Market Renewal Fund of

hundreds of mil l ions of pounds wil l be available to start bringing about changes in

these housing ma rkets. The funding w ill targe t a holistic ap proa ch to e stab lishing

market renewal and represent a major opportunity for securing improvement in

centres such as Breck Road, Park Road, Edge Hill, County Road, which are located in

the Inner Core and have b een a dversely affected by c ollapsing housing m arkets and

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de-population. It is unclear at p resent howe ver, to what e xtent HMRF ca n be used fo r

the p rovision of non-housing de velopment e.g. shops, community fa cil it ies. It may well

be howeve r, that HMRF could b e used for site assemb ly etc. Clarif ication of the rules

are sti ll aw aited.

4.29 The North Liverpo ol Action Plan is be ing prep ared b y con sultant s. The Stud y areaincludes County Road , Breck Road and G reat Home r Street ce ntres. The Econom ic

Action Plan is to identify a series of key interventions and projects over a 10-year

timescale whic h wil l help stabil ise (or increase) pop ulation levels in North Liverpool

and ensure a de gree o f ec onom ic self-sufficienc y. The Plan will also provide a

framework and economic justif ication for NWDA funding into this part of the city.

County Road a nd Breck Road c ould be recipients of this togethe r with a pote ntial

new c entre at Great Home r Street.

4.30 Objective 1 ap plies to the whole c ity and to Merseyside as a who le. This is Liverpoolssource of Europea n money. However, it has traditionally not been ava ilable for

spe nding o n retail areas beca use of comp etition rules. Whilst all the Partnership Areas

are ta rgets for some m oney, much is on training, etc. However, f ive areas are

targeted for econom ic regeneration funding, e.g. North Docks (Atlantic Gatew ay),

Edge Lane area (Eastern Approac hes), Speke Garston, Gillmoss and the C ity Centre.

This co uld supply fund ing to Spe ke a nd G arston, Stone bridg e Cro ss, Edg e Lane RWP,

Old Swan a nd Edge Hill.

4.31 Kensington New Deal targets a very large amount of New Deal for Communitiesmoney to a small area. Edge Hil l and Kensington centres can a nd wil l receive a lot of

this.

4.32 Neighbourhood Renewa l Funding is available in all the po orest wa rds in the city (overhalf) but is not really ap plicable to retail centres, except via improved neighbourhood

service delivery.

4.33 There is funding a vailable for c rime a nd c omm unity safety via a va riety of sources.

4.34 Funding c ould be available for transport improvements in some centres, and the loca lTransport Plan and Merseytravel. Othe r Coun cil funding could ta rget cen tres via

improved street l ighting and maintenanc e.

4.35 There is little prospec t of ea sy funding for ce ntres in be tter off a reas like Allerton an dWoolton.

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5. INDIVIDUA L DISTRICT& LOCA L CENTRE HEALTH C HECKS/SWOT ANA LYSIS

5.1 This section of the Study a nalyses the key c harac teristics of eac h ce ntre to estab lishgeneral levels of vitality and viability and should be read alongside Append i x 1. For

ea ch c entre the strengths, weaknesses, oppo rtunities and threats (SWOT) have b een

considered a nd a number of op t ions have b een ident i f ied for the centre.

5.2 In health c hec ks of this nature, indica tors such as rents and yields are often utilised . Inthis case, these indicators are not deeme d to give a reliable indicator of performance.

For instanc e, many units are owne r occu pied w ith the owner living ove r the shop . In

other ca ses, the units are too small to provide a use for com parab le rent. More

impo rtantly, variations in renta l level exist to a significa nt de grees within existing c entres

and be tween centres.

5.3 To help w ith the assessment , we hav e include d a b enc hma rking exerc ise to a ssesseac h ce ntre against the Liverpool average a nd ag ainst the UK average. This provides

a useful market to assess eac h c entre ag ainst.

5.4 At the end of eac h of the hea lth checks, a summary l ist of options for each c entre isidentif ied. It should be ma de c lear that these are options, not necessarily the

recomm enda tions for each centre. Before conc lusions ca n be drawn abo ut these

options, the overall strategy for the local and district centres in Liverpool needs to be

considered.

5.5 Our recomm enda tions, therefore, are presented in fo llowing sections.

Health Checks

5.6 In summa rising the situation, the following fac tors are relevant:

It is clear that with a few notable exceptions the vast majority of LiverpoolsDistrict a nd Local Centres have d eteriorated over time. An app reciable number

are now in a state of some deca y.

Environm enta l quality is a ma jor issue in seve ral cen tres. Crime and the p erceived threa t of crime is a c onstant conc ern in many c entres.

Clear that a num ber of ce ntres are experiencing pressure fro cha nge. The hea lth of ce ntres across the C ity varies. There is no real trend in terms of the he alth of a centre d etermined b y size. With few excep tions the inner urban c entres appea r to trade less well than those

in the suburbs or outer area s.

The presence of am ple ca r parking gene rally has a beneficial trading effect ona centre.

While there do not appear to be any food deserts in Liverpool, from ageog raphical and q ualitative overview there does appea r to be further scop e in

certain pa rts of the City for further food co nvenience fac il it ies.

5.7 Tab le 5.1 summ arises the most co mmo n wea kness assoc iated with the District a ndLocal Centres and which c entres have such wea knesses.

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LIVERPOOL/LOCAL & DISTRICT CENTRES/CAC0017 13

Table 5.1 - Shows the Most Com mon Weak nesses within the District and Loca l Centres of Liverpool

Top 10 centres with highe st % ofVacant Units

Centre too large tosustain e xisting retail

Lack of multipleretailing

Environmenta lly poor Lac k of com munityfacilities

Limited car parkingprovision

Limited p edestriancrossing points

Great Homer Street

Smithdow n Road North

Kensington Fairfield

Edge Hill

Garston

Park Road

Rice Lane

Lodge Lane

Prescott Roa d

Brec k Road

65%

45%

38%

37%

37%

36%

33%

29%

26%

26%

Brec k Road

Garston

County Road

Park Roa d

Smithd ow nRoad North

Walton Vale


Prescott Roa d

Aigburth Vale

Garston

Edge Hill

Park Roa d

Rose Lan e

Wavertree Road

Lodg e Lane

Tuebroo k

Speke

Brec k Road

Belle Vale

Garston

County Road

Edge Hill

Park Roa d

Grea t Homer Street

Speke

Rice Lane

Smithd ow nRoad North

Walton Vale

Kensingto n FairfieldWavertree Road

Lodg e Lane

Tueb rook

Belle Vale

County Road

Edg e Hill

Hunts Cross

West Derby Villag e

Woolton

Muirhead A venue East

Rice Lane

Walton Vale


Smit hd ow nRoa d South

Prescott RoadLondon Road

Lodge Lane

Tuebroo k

Aigburth Road

Brec k Road

Aigburth Vale

Allerton Road

Tuebroo k

Brec k Road

Allerton Road

Old Swan

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Liverpool Local & District Centre Study

LIVERPOOL/LOCAL & DISTRICT CENTRES/CAC0017 14

5.8 The ta ble d emonstrates that ap proximately one t hird o f Liverpools District and Loca lCentres have three o r more key we aknesses.

5.9 Tab le 5.2 be low, a ssesses the District Centres ag ainst their ability to mee t ba sicstanda rds of retail provision, such as:

Supe rmarket Chemist Newsagent Post Offic e off-l icence Hairdre ssers Butchers Bakers Greengrocers

5.10 Tab le 5.3 assesses the loca l centres aga inst a m ore ba sic standa rd ofneighbourhood provision.

Tab le 5.2 Assessment of Basic Provision, District Centre s

PostOffice

Grocers/

Foodstore

Chemist

Newsagent

Superm

arket

Bank

Hairdressers

Off-Licence

Butchers

Bakers

Restaurant

Bars

Wavertree4 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 6 4 4 4

Old Swan4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Walton Vale4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Smithd own Rd

South 6 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 4 4 4 4

Spe ke4 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 4 4 6 4

Wool ton4 6 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Edge Hill4 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 4 4 4 4

County Road4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Belle Vale6 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 4 4 4 4

Garston4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Broadway4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Allerton Road4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Brec k Road4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Aigburth Road4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 6

London Road 4 4 4 4 6 4 4 6 6 4 4 4

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LIVERPOOL/LOCAL & DISTRICTCENTRES/CAC 0017a15

Tab le 5.3 Assessment o f Basic Provision, Loca l Centre s

Post

Office

Groc

ers/

Food

store

Chem

ist

Newsagent

Knotty Ash4 4 6 4

Lodg e Lane4 4 4 4

Tueb rook4 4 4 4

Rose Lan e4 4 6 4

Prescot Road6 4 6 4

Kensington Fairfield4 4 4 4

Smithdow n Road North4 4 4 4

Rice Lane4 6 6 4

Muirhead Av enue East4 4 4 4

West Derby Villag e4 4 4 4

Park Roa d4 4 4 4

Hunts Cross4 4 4 4

Aigburth Vale4 4 4 4

Grea t Homer Street4 4 4 4

5.11 The fo llowing ce ntres do no t eve n satisfy these standards of b asic provision:

Rice Lane Prescot Road Knotty A sh Wavertree Road Belle Vale

Old Swa n Smithdow n Road South Speke Edge Hill Aigburth Road London Road

5.12 Whilst some of these centres do not provide t he full range of services that w ould beexpecte d, they remain important retail loca tions for other reasons - London Road ,

Belle Va le.

5.13 Having regard to the market factors outl ined above, it is seemingly questionablewhether some of the other centres would ac tually achieve these ba sic standards in

the foreseeable future.

5.14 The difficult retail market co nditions for loca l and district c entres experiencedthrougho ut the UK is perha ps felt most acut ely in Liverpo ol. The city ce ntre dom inates

retail patterns and a loc ation of the se d ominantly linear centres along the c itys main

arterial routes, often serves to provide the bus routes to take shoppers away from

these centres and into the c ity centre.

5.15 Consolidation of these centres to create more focused retail facil i t ies with betterinteract ion betw een ope rators is perhaps the answer. The dichoto my often co mes

when finding sites in l inear centres with sufficient depth to accommodate

app ropriate retail format such as foodstores. As a consequence, e dge of ce ntre sites

are often considered the only option, further elongating a nd d iluting the retail

funct ion of the ce ntre.

5.16 Moreover, the lack of interaction between retailers in these centres to createap prop riate promo tional, marketing and b usiness initiatives is ap pa rent. Perhaps the

greatest challenge within the district and local centres is to break the cycle of

dec line w hich effec ts the ma jority of the c entres within Liverpool.

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Cycle of Decline

Strategy Formulation

5.17 Any futu re strate gy m ust add ress these issues. If the future net wo rk of reta il provisionwithin the city is to remain viable and effective then any strategy needs to be

pragmatic and flexible whilst containing sustainable principles to give certainty to

those investing in the area.

5.18 Clearly, certain centres are fairing better than others in the context of local socio-eco nomic c ircumstances. Certain centres have a ttained a crit ica l mass of retailing

which allows them to function at a reasonably strong level in a given area, eg.

AllertonRoad , Old Swa n. These centres need to ma intain this funct ion, although

increasingly this wil l be a t the expense of ne arby less attrac tive ce ntres.

5.19 There are also certain centres that are c apa ble of expa nsion whilst others are not. Inthis respec t, it needs to be recog nised that c entres move up and dow n in the

hierarchy reflecting ma rket circum stances. This proc ess should be expe cte d and

individual centres should not be held back from growing, if this is fundamentally the

right strategy, just to remain on a p ar with centres that wither ca nnot ac com mod ate

growth or are not attrac tive locations for growth.

5.20 The current ma rket opp ortunities in Liverpoo l are limited. Reta ilers and o pe rators arenot prepa red to co mmit to retail ing loca tions in the following circumstance s:

Where the c entre is in a poo r state o f environmenta l quality; Where crime is a prohibitive facto r; Where the c entre has no c rit ical ma ss of retail ing; Where the trading prospects of the centre are poor; Where the socio-ec onomic p rofi le of the a rea do es not match their own

aspirations.

5.21 These fact ors cha ract erise ma ny of the District and Loc al Centres within Liverpoo l andthis enca psulates the scale of the task that rejuvenating such c entres require.

5.22 Where this is po ssible, it will require co nce rted e ffort b y all interested pa rties over aprolonged period be fore results beg in to emerge.

5.23 Nonetheless, identifying an a ppropriate strateg y now, wil l enable the d evelopment oflocal policy and other init iatives including the overall direction of Neighbourhood

Renewa l Strateg y.

5.24 The ba sic principles of the ove rall strateg y towa rds district and loca l centres should b eto :

Create c omm unities which are sustainab le; Provide mod ern, ac cessible services; Maintain social inclusion; and Ensure a d iversity of shop s, services and co mmunity uses.

5.25 To realise these ba sic p rinciples will req uired long-te rm investmen t in the loc al anddist r ic t c entres wi th a concer ted a nd foc used approach.

5.26 The need to secure an on-going c apital programme for funding improveme nts andto leve l funding from other pub lic and p rivate sources is a p re-requisite to the

ac hievement o f positive c hange in Liverpools retail centres.

Poo r qua lity

Centres

Shop s redu ceinvestment in bu iltfabric

Unattrac tive toRetailers

Sho ps Lose Trad e

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Regeneration Initiatives

5.27 C&W/H&B are cognisant of how the many regeneration init iatives that overlay theCity at present, although few of these actually conce ntrate on the improvement in

the trad ing prospects and fortunes of the loc al and district c entres.

5.28 It is increasingly apparent that a significant number of the wider regenerationinitiatives conta in retail uses outside d efined centres, principally in order to generate

value to support regeneration programmes but also to take advantage of market

dem and for certain forms of retail ing such a s food store op erators.

5.29 The p rospec tive pa radox b etween incorporating retail in regeneration schemes whilstalso trying to regenerate district a nd loc al c entres is not lost on this report.

5.30 It is the purpose of planning policy and implementation to ensure that the rightbalanc e is struck betwee n enco uraging regeneration in app ropriate loc ations whilst

not creating or wo rsening reg eneration issues elsewhere.

5.31 Clearly, the prospect of sporadic retail development to support regeneration planscan result in significantly greater difficulty in bringing forward meaningful and

sustainab le deve lopme nt in existing district and loca l centres. This is a ma ter of the

utmost significa nce for the City Co uncil to ad dress.

5.32 The strate gy, therefore, is not just ab out prom oting c hang e but a lso nee ds to focus onprotec ting existing retail centres, particularly w here ong oing investment is planned

and the c onditions for such are being c reated .

5.33 In addition, this is not a matter of theoretical capacity for further retail facil i t ies ince rtain pa rts of Liverpo ol. Whilst this is relevant, to rely on such studies underestima tes

ma rket considerations. In this ca se, the nee d to p rotec t existing retail businesses,

encourage new development (particularly in the City Centre) and to promote future

retail potential.

5.34 These fac tors are key to the succe ss of the retail strategy fo r the C ity.

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New M ersey Retail Park

6.13 This out-of-centre retail loca tion in Speke acc ommo da tes 29,037 sq.m of retailf loorspac e and ha s recently seen ma jor expansion and upg rading. It is anc hored by

a B&Q dep ot and has a number of mainstream High Street retailers acc ommo dated

includ ing Next, Gap a nd Boots. It is a pa rticularly succ essful reta il loca tion.

Edge Lane Retail Park

6.14 Situated app roxima tely 4km from the c ity centre this reta il park extends to 18,204 sq.m(net). It has grown increm enta lly as a retail loca tion and it extend s to bo th sides of

Edge Lane. The range of go ods within the park area gene rally restricted to

approximately 1,200 sq.m of f loorspace has been permitted for a wider range of A1

floorspac e. Anchored by B&Q, it is generally a succe ssful retail location, although

now becoming da ted i n appearance .

6.15 A major regene ration study for the City Eastern Approa che s is currently in prepara tionand wil l cover the area of the retail park and extend to the south to the Litt lewoods

building and the Botanica l Gardens.

6.16 Two a pp lications are currently before the C ounc il to extend the retailing fac ilities inthis location extends across Rathbone Road playing fields whilst the second is on land

to th e no rth know n as the Skellys site.

Liver Industrial Park

6.17 A relatively ano nymo us retail loca tion on Long Lane, an cho red by Taskers DIY andconta ining a small numbe r of ad ditional units. Unlikely to witness any real expa nsion

proposals die to the significant retail facilities at the Aintree Retail Park 1.5km to the

north, outside of the c ity bounda ries.

Potential Retail Locations

6.18 In addition to the recognised retail loca tions identif ied a bove, there a re several otherproposed or moo ted sites, which are ap propriate to c onsider in the conte xt of this

report.

Stonedale Cross Retail Park

6.19 Currently an a gglomeration o f retail and leisure facil i t ies located on the southern sideof the A580 East Lanc ashire Road on land defined as Stone Bridge Cross

Regene ration Area, w hich itself is identif ied as a Strategic Investment Area.

6.20 A Development Brief for the 21.52 hectare site has been released and it shows anopp ortunity to expand /remod el the e xisting Stoneda le Crescent Retail and Leisure

Park and designated as a District Centre in

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