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Town Centre Retail Study 2004 / 2006
In January 2004, the Council appointed Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners (NLP) to carry out a Town Centre and Retail Study of the four main towns in the District: Hitchin; Letchworth Garden City; Baldock and Royston. The aim of the study was to update two previous retail studies, by undertaking an assessment of the four towns in terms of retail/leisure provision and opportunities, and to take into account new census and expenditure data, and other changes since the previous studies were prepared.
The outcomes of the study contributing to:
- the review and monitoring of retail policies for inclusion in the Local Development Framework (LDF) for the District covering the period up to 2016, although the LDF, is likely to go up to 2021;
- the retail section of Town Centre Strategies. Hitchin and Baldock's Town Centre Strategies are complete, Letchworth Garden City's is presently underway and Royston's will be done in 2007;
- providing retail guidance in the production of Development Briefs for sites within Hitchin Town Centre and elsewhere, for example the Churchgate and Paynes Park areas;
- identifying opportunities for potential retail, leisure or mixed-used development sites within the four towns.
The report was endorsed by Cabinet for the above purposes on 23rd June 2004.
In July 2006, NLP completed an update of the town centre and retail study. The purpose was to update the assessment of retail capacity based on the latest information on population, expenditure and turnover levels. The update is below, and should be read alongside the 2004 report.
Town Centre Retail Study Update 2006
