Prepared by: Donaldsons St Pauls House 23 Park Square South Leeds LS1 2ND Telephone 0113 2461161 Facsimile 0113 2441637 October 2003

BARNSLEY METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

Barnsley Retail and Leisure Study

Leisure Industries Research Centre Unit 1, Sheffield Science Park Howard Street Sheffield S1 2LX Telephone 0114 2253972 Facsimile 0114 2254488

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Report

1 Introduction 3

2 Indoor Leisure Analysis 4

3 The Household Survey 12

4 The Retailers/Business Survey 16

5 Barnsley Town Centre Health Check Summary 22

6 Retail Capacity Analysis 29

7 Recommendations in respect of planning policy and future retail and leisure development 40

8 Conclusions 47

Appendices

The following appendices are contained in the separate appendix document: 1 Visitor Survey

2 Leisure Operator Survey 3 Retailers’/Business Operators’ Survey 4 Household Survey 5 Map of the Household Survey Zones 6 Barnsley Town Centre Health Check 7 Goad Town Centre Plan

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1 Introduction

1.1 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has commissioned Donaldsons and LIRC (the Leisure Industries Research Centre of Sheffield Hallam University) to undertake a retail and leisure study of Barnsley, including an analysis of the capacity for new retail development in Barnsley town centre and the potential for new leisure development. This is to assist in the preparation of the revision of the Unitary Development Plan/Local Development Framework and also to promote a future strategy for the town in support of the Barnsley Masterplan.

1.2 The study comprises the following elements: A Health Check of the vitality and viability of Barnsley Town Centre; An assessment of the capacity for new retail development in Barnsley town centre; An assessment of the leisure market as it relates to Barnsley Urban Centre; An assessment of the potential of the town to accommodate new leisure floorspace. Recommendations for future action.

1.3 Four different types of survey were used the inform the study:

• Visitors (Street) Survey • Household Survey • Retailers and Business Survey • Leisure Operators Survey

1.4 The findings of our study will allow the Council to revise its existing UDP/LDF policies and proposals for retail and leisure development, with supporting justification, for the purposes of the UDP/LDF review, having regards to current Government guidance, as contained in PPG6 and to ensure that the emerging Masterplan is soundly based and capable of implementation.

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2 Indoor Leisure Analysis

2.1 Although we now have many studies of shopping centre rankings and hierarchies, there is still a lack of analyses of wider town centre functions and a lack of knowledge of the relationship between kinds of leisure facilities and types or ranks of centre. There does not yet exist a standard approach to the overall assessment of the contribution of leisure in general, and indoor leisure in particular, to the health and vitality of town centres. Consequently, the approach taken here is firstly to look at current national patterns of expenditure on leisure, and indoor leisure in particular. Secondly, we look at the pattern of leisure use of Barnsley town centre as revealed in the visitor survey. Thirdly, we look at responses to the question on the visitor survey relating to what other leisure facilities people would like to see in Barnsley town centre. Fourthly, we use information provided in the leisure operators survey to analyse the various sub-markets making up the indoor leisure market in Barnsley. The questionnaires and full analysis of the Visitor and Leisure operator Surveys are included in Appendices. The National Leisure Market

2.2 Consumer expenditure on leisure accounts for 29% of all consumer expenditure and is one of the fastest growing sectors of consumer spending. The leisure market is made up of two main sectors, Leisure in the Home and Leisure Away from Home.

2.3 Leisure in the Home comprises four broad sub-sectors: reading, home entertainment, house and garden, and hobbies and pastimes. Each of these sub-divides further into smaller leisure markets so that (for example) reading is split into three sub-markets: books, newspapers, and magazines.

2.4 Most of the discussion about leisure, retailing, and the health of town centres has completely ignored the Leisure in the Home sector since, by definition, the leisure activity concerned takes place within the home and therefore has no relevance to retailing, town centres, and/or out-of-centre locations. However, the Leisure in the Home sector itself accounts for 8% of all consumer expenditure and is therefore a significant part of retailing in its own right. In addition, three of the four sub-sectors, home entertainment , house and garden, and hobbies and pastimes, are often grouped together on retail warehouse parks, that together make up a ‘shopping for leisure’ venue. This type of venue, however, is not normally considered as relevant to the discussion of the role of leisure in town centres.

2.5 The fourth sub-sector, reading, is provided for in every town centre, both large and small, by newsagents and bookshops. Although we tend to think that these retailing outlets are fairly standard and conventional, and have little to contribute to the leisure and retail discussion, there have been fairly radical changes in one of these – bookshops - over recent years to make the retailing of books experience more of a leisure activity in itself. New US style shops have opened in the UK in recent years that promote bookselling as a user-friendly activity, supported with listening posts, in-store computer systems, spacious selling areas, coffee-bars and internet cafés. This development indicates that it may be a mistake to ignore the Leisure in the Home sector when discussing the relationship between leisure and town centre development.

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2.6 The Leisure Away from Home sector comprises three sub-sectors: eating and drinking, neighbourhood leisure (including local entertainment and sport), and holidays and tourism. Again each splits into several sub-markets. Eating and drinking dominates the Leisure Away from Home sector accounting for 56% of consumer spending in this sector. The second largest sector is holidays and tourism (29% of the sector) which is not directly relevant to this study. It is interesting that most attention in the retail/leisure discussion, and the role of leisure in town centres has focussed on what is the smallest sector of the leisure market in consumer expenditure terms - local entertainment - which includes cinemas, theatres, health and fitness clubs, ice rinks, bowling alleys, and other urban entertainment attractions. Consumer expenditure on such local entertainment accounts for only 15% of out-of-home leisure expenditure. Barnsley Town Centre Evening Leisure Usage

2.7 Respondents to the visitor survey were asked whether they visited Barnsley in the evening. Responses are shown in Graph 1. Graph 1: Do you visit Barnsley town centre in the evening?

Do you ever come into Barnsley Town Centre in the evening? (n = 556)

3742

35

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40 39 41

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Yes No

2.8 In total, 37% of respondents stated that they visited Barnsley in the evening with the dominant groups being men (42%), people aged under 45 (53%) and all socio economic groups except people in groups DE (28%). The activities of those who visit the town in the evening are shown in Graph 2 overleaf.

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Graph 2: What people do in Barnsley in the evening

What do you do in Barnsley Town Centre in the evening?(n = 204 respondents, 469 activities)

83%

47%

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17%15%

9% 8% 7%3%

0%

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Pubs Restaurants Nightclubs Services Sports facilities Bingo Cinema /theatre

Walk about /look around

Other

2.9 By far the most common evening leisure activity in Barnsley is visiting public houses, cited by 83% of respondents, followed by visiting restaurants, cited by 47% of respondents. Nightclubs are visited by 41% of respondents who come to the town centre in the evening. On average respondents gave 2.3 answers to this question. The seemingly low take-up of cultural activities such as the cinema or the theatre can in part be attributed to a lack of supply. It is arguable that Barnsley's night time offer is too one dimensional (pub/night club emphasis) and excludes people under 18, people with young families and the over 45s. The current offer has evolved as a result of unchecked market forces and if a more diversified evening economy is required, Barnsley MBC will need to take a strategic approach towards encouraging a more multi-dimensional offer. Town Centre Users' Views on Changes to Barnsley's Leisure Portfolio

2.10 To identify how Barnsley town centre might improve its leisure offer, respondents in the visitor survey were asked if they would like to see a selection of possible facilities and services established in the town. Graph 3 overleaf details the responses to these questions.

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Graph 3: What else would you like to see in Barnsley?

What other leisure facilities / services would you like to see in Barnsley Town Centre? (n = 556)

52.9

31.5 31.3 30.9

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ex ci

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More than half (52.9%) of respondents would like to see a multiplex cinema in Barnsley and this was the only amenity in a straight ‘yes or no’ question to achieve support. There have been proposals for some time for a new cinema complex, including restaurant facilities on the Courthouse Site adjacent to the interchange at Eastgate. In principle, the introduction of this type of facility for the town in the right location, is badly needed. However, it is the case that South Yorkshire is well served with modern cinemas, notably Warner Village at Meadowhall (11 screens) and UGC Cinemas at Valley Centretainment (20 screens) - both of which are in easy reach of Barnsley by car and public transport.

2.11 More than 30% of respondents were in favour of more restaurants, a theatre and ten pin bowling. This can be taken as a market-led demand to diversify the town's night time leisure offer. The relatively low levels of support for sports facilities, health and fitness and nightclubs suggests a near market saturation with these products.

2.12 Further analysis of the support for a multiplex cinema by selected variables reveals strong support in the 16-44 age range, people in socio-economic groups AB, and leisure users (ie those interviewed at the Metrodome) as demonstrated in Graph 4 overleaf.

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Graph 4: Support for multiplex cinema by selected variables

Analysis of support for MULTIPLEX CINEMA by demographic variables

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Barnsley Indoor Leisure Market: Individual Sub-markets Eating and Drinking Out

2.13 The retail operators' survey gave some indication of people's views on the quality and choice of places to eat and drink in Barnsley . Their views are given in Graph 5. Graph 5: Retail operators' views on choice of places to eat and drink

Choice of places to eat and drink

9% 3%

25%

37%

23%3%

ExcellentVery GoodGoodSatisfactoryPoorVery Poor

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2.14 37% have rated the choice of places to eat and drink as good or better. However, 26% of those who completed this section have rated the choice and variety of places to eat and drink as poor or worse. Some comments added here indicate that dissatisfaction lies with the range of places to eat rather than with the range of places to drink. A number of respondents clearly believe there are too many pubs and ‘cheap’ cafes and a lack of more upmarket restaurants. This is a significant percentage given the importance of the right mix and quality of eating and drinking establishments in defining the overall leisure experience and a key factor in attracting people to the town centre.

2.15 The view that there is dissatisfaction with the quality of the restaurants in particular is also supported by evidence in the visitor survey. When asked to identify how Barnsley town centre might improve its leisure offer, 31% of respondents indicated that they would like to see more restaurants. This was the second highest identified factor after a multiplex cinema. In addition, 62% of respondents indicated that provision of cafes, pubs, and restaurants was a key factor in making a town centre attractive. However, as revealed in qualitative evidence from the retailers' survey, it is the overemphasis on pubs and the use of the city centre predominantly for drinking in the evening that is problematic for the image of Barnsley town centre. The visitor survey revealed that, of those who used Barnsley town centre in the evening, 83% indicated that they came to drink in pubs but only 47% of them came to use the restaurants.

2.16 Several recent studies have indicated that the mix and quality of the eating and drinking out sector in a town centre is crucial in attracting 'leisure shoppers' who have longer dwell times in the centre. To be a leisure shopping destination, there must be an attractive environment and a good mix of eating and drinking establishments since this is the key element of leisure shopping. The influence of the other areas of leisure, such as cinemas, theatres, ice rinks, and health and fitness clubs, is likely to be less significant in extending dwell times in the town centre. Visitors to these leisure attractions are less likely to combine their visit with shopping activity although they may make use of the eating and drinking establishments.

2.17 The evidence from all the surveys carried out in this study indicates that the lack of high quality restaurants and an overemphasis on the use of the city centre for drinking in pubs is likely to mean that Barnsley is not a leisure shopping destination in the sense described above. This view is supported by the fact that 74% of shoppers in Barnsley town centre spend two hours or less on their shopping trip. Other Local Entertainment Cinema

2.18 Nationally, the UK cinema market is growing healthily. Box office takings increased by 17% in 2002 with admissions rising from 156 million in 2001 to 176 million in 2002. It is not encouraging therefore to see that Barnsley's Odeon cinema reported that business had declined over this period. The Odeon Cinema's capacity varies according to the nature of the product. During children's holidays, half terms and when 'blockbuster' films are on general release it trades at close to 100% capacity of its 840 seats. However, away from peak times and peak product, there is plenty of unfilled capacity.

2.19 It is clearly the case that competition, particularly from Cine World in Wakefield, Warner Brothers in Meadowhall, and the UGC complex at Centertainment in Sheffield, is a greater influence on the

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cinema market in Barnsley than anything that is happening to the market nationally. In the Barnsley visitors' survey, only 24% of those who had been to the cinema in the last four weeks had been to the Barnsley Odeon, with 22% having been to Wakefield, 21% to Meadowhall, and 12% to the UGC complex at the Valley in Sheffield. At the moment, the Odeon struggles to compete with these state of the art facilities in towns and cities close to Barnsley. However, the visitor survey showed strong support for a new multiplex in Barnsley, indicating that people would perhaps prefer not to travel so far for a modern cinema facility. At the moment, the current Odeon cinema only provides for less than a quarter of the cinema market in Barnsley, with the rest being catered for mainly by cinemas in Wakefield and Sheffield. A new modern multiplex should able to increase this proportion considerably. Health and Fitness

2.20 Nationally, the health and fitness sector more than doubled in size between 1995 and 2002. Barnsley's provision in this area reflects this growth with the top end of the market well served with Livingwell, Ardsley House and Fitness Express, and with a relatively large number of smaller independent facilities. The Barnsley visitor survey indicated that 88% of respondents had not visited a health and fitness facility over the last four weeks. Of those who had visited such a facility, the largest percentage (22%) had visited the Metrodome, with 6% visiting Livingwell, 5% Ardsley House, and 12% other facilities in Barnsley. The leisure operators' survey revealed that, at the top end of the market, Livingwell and Fitness Express were operating at capacity. Smaller independent facilities with relatively low capacities are doing well but there is plenty of capacity left in the Barnsley Premier Leisure suite of facilities. Other than at the top end of the health and fitness market there is significant unfilled capacity.

2.21 There is no evidence, therefore, to suggest further provision in this area is needed, particularly

since this sector is now maturing with much more modest growth rates than those seen in the late 1990s. Only 11% of respondents in the visitor survey indicated they would like to see more health and fitness facilities in Barnsley town centre. Bingo

2.22 The number of bingo clubs in the UK has been declining over the last fifteen years. Total consumer expenditure on bingo, however, has been rising, although at a modest rate. The flagship Gala Bingo unit (unwilling to take part in the leisure operators survey) is known to be operating at capacity and the company's second club in Barnsley (which did take part in the survey) is also doing healthy business operating at around 3,500 admissions per week. The Walker Bingo unit has a capacity of 300 and is operating at just over 25% of this capacity. There is no evidence of a need for further expansion of bingo provision in Barnsley. Nightclubs

2.23 The nightclub sector in Barnsley is closely tied to the use of the city centre for drinking in the evening. The nightclub sector performs very well during weekends but there is unfilled capacity in the sense that most clubs do not open on Monday and Tuesday. Unlike university towns with high student populations, the night club market cannot be segmented in such a way as to justify a six or seven night operation. The owners themselves feel that the market is saturated and perhaps there is at least one too many clubs in the town centre as there have recently been 'price wars' as too much capacity chases too few customers.

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Conclusions

2.24 There is evidence that Barnsley lacks diversity in its portfolio of indoor leisure attractions. Most people coming into the town centre in the evening are doing so for the purpose of visiting public houses and then, for some, a nightclub. This predominant leisure use of the town centre in the evening tends to exclude families and those in older age groups. During the day, the majority of shopping trips last for two hours or less, considerably shorter than destinations regarded as 'leisure shopping' centres. The role of the eating and drinking out sector is crucial in creating the right environment for leisure shopping and improving the quality and diversity of the evening economy. Evidence indicates that Barnsley currently lacks an upmarket cafe/bistro/bar/restaurant quarter that many other town centres now possess. Our recommendation is that a development of this type be a major focus of the town centre redevelopment.

2.25 The facility that town centre users most wanted to see in Barnsley was a new multiplex cinema and there are proposals in the master plan for such a development. Evidence indicates that those currently going outside Barnsley for cinema visits could be attracted to a local facility if this matched the quality of the competition in Sheffield and Wakefield.

2.26 There is little evidence of undercapacity, or lack of quality, of indoor leisure provision in other indoor leisure submarkets.

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3 The Household Survey

3.1 NEMS, an accredited Market Research Agency, was commissioned to undertake an independent survey among the residents living within the identified catchment area for Barnsley. This area is shown at Appendix V and is based on the results of the Street Survey, covering the post code areas of shoppers recorded three or more times, plus any other post code areas within the extent of the geographical area so defined. The area closely approximates the Borough boundary, but includes postcode areas immediately over the boundary in Wakefield and Rotherham boroughs. The catchment area was divided into five zones:- Zone 1 – Barnsley Central Zone 2 – West Zone 3 – South East Zone 4 – North Zone 5 – East

3.2 A telephone survey of 1000 households, randomly selected from each of the postcode areas, was conducted between 10th and 31st March 2003, the number of interviews in each zone representing the proportion of total population within that zone. The interviews were restricted to the person responsible for the majority of the shopping within the household. The purpose was to enable the identification of variations in habits and attitudes from zone to zone. This level of disaggregration of the data is important given that retail centres rarely draw trade evenly from their hinterland. A wide range of data was collated on shopping and leisure habits of respondents of whom 70% were female and 30% male. 14% were aged 18 to 34, 31% 35 to 54 and 54% were over 55.

3.3 Leaving aside food shopping, overall 66% of respondents regarded Barnsley as their main shopping centre. Meadowhall was second with 8.9% and Wakefield third with 4.5%, largely as result of respondents in the North zone (Zone 4). Sheffield was mentioned by only 3.9% of respondents, and Leeds by 0.3%. 3% named Doncaster, predominantly from the East zone, where 11% of respondents regarded it as their main town centre. Few respondents regarded any of the smaller centres in Barnsley as their main shopping centre, although 16% of respondents in the South-East zone (Zone 3) cited Wombwell as their main town centre.

3.4 The percentage regarding Barnsley as their main town centre was highest in the Barnsley Central zone (84%) and lowest in the South East zone (49%) where Wombwell and Meadowhall were significant (17% and 16% respectively). Meadowhall was significant in all of the zones with the percentages ranging from the 17% in the South-East zone (Zone 3) and 6.3% in the Barnsley Central and Eastern zones.

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3.5 Weekly visits were the most reported frequency of use (by 32% of respondents) with about 31% reporting more frequent trips and 30% less frequent ones. About 5.6% of respondents did not use Barnsley town centre at all. Of those who did visit the town centre, 56% usually visited by car (as driver or passenger) and 28% by bus. Overall 13% walked, but this was overwhelmingly from the Barnsley Central zone where 40% of respondents said they usually walked.

3.6 69% of respondents said they carried out other activities than shopping in their main town centre. The main activities were

• Banks/Building Societies 24% • Visiting Pubs 16% • Visiting Cinema 14% • Eating Out 13% • Visiting a Post Office 10% • Work 8% • Visiting Night Clubs 7%

3.7 26% of respondents said that they did not particularly like anything about the town centre. The main likes were:-

• Close to home 24% • Good Choice of Shops 12% • Easy to get around 5% • Attractive /Pleasant Environment 4% • The Market 4% The main dislikes were :-

• Nothing 47% • Dirty Streets/Litter 8% • Not enough choice of shops 5% • Lack of Parking 5%

3.8 3% had no dislikes (as opposed to disliking nothing, which arguably is the same thing) and 3% did not know what they disliked about the centre, while 2% disliked everything. Only 2% mentioned safety/personal security fears.

3.9 Overall, respondents appear to be reasonably satisfied with the town centre, with no clear dislikes emerging, but equally they do not feel particularly positive about the centre.

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Comparison Goods 3.10 Just over half of respondents (53%) had last bought fashion goods in Barnsley town centre, with

Meadowhall having attracted 16%. After those two, the other significant centres were :-

• Sheffield 5.1% • Doncaster 4.1% • Wakefield 3.3.%

5.6% of residents had used Mail Order but the Internet was not significant (0.1%).

3.11 Clothing and other fashion goods are a good proxy for identifying higher order centres and the results suggest that Barnsley is performing less well than the overall perception given in question 1 (the main centre) and that the town suffers more from competition from Meadowhall in particular. These results indicate a leakage (i.e. the amount of expenditure made by residents of the catchment area in locations outside of it) of available clothing and footwear expenditure from the catchment area of over 33%.

3.12 About 35% of respondents had last bought furniture or floor coverings in the Barnsley town centre. A very substantial number of respondents did not know or reported that they did not buy these goods (43%) so the lower percentage does not suggest that the centre is relatively weaker in its attraction for these goods. Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Wakefield had all attracted some trade. The local retail parks were not a significant destination. These results indicate a leakage of available expenditure on these types of goods in the order of 25%.

3.13 43% of respondents had last bought DIY/home decoration goods in Barnsley town centre. The retail parks are not particularly significant in responses but are probably understated in terms of expenditure, as the sums spent in the town centre in shops like Wilkinson tend to be much smaller. The survey was carried out before the opening of the new B & Q at Stairfoot. The pattern for electrical goods is similar to DIY, with little difference in the use of the town centre between bulky and personal electrical goods. These results indicate a leakage of available expenditure on these types of goods in the order of 20%. Convenience Goods

3.14 66% of respondents carry out a main shop once a week with about 20% shopping more frequently and 12% less frequently. The pattern of main food shopping is well established in the area.

The main stores used are :-

• Asda Old Mill Lane Barnsley 31% • Morrisons Corton Wood (out of the Borough) 16% • Tesco Wombwell Lane 13%

3.15 The next most important store is the Co-op Pioneer store in Peel St. at 6%. As would be expected, the attraction of the main stores does vary between zones but not as much as commonly found. This probably reflects the relatively central location of the stores.

3.16 The Asda attracts 50% of Barnsley Central zone residents, 48% of the North zone residents and 36% of West zone residents for their main food shopping. Percentages in the other zones are low,

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particularly in the South-East zone, where Morrisons, Corton Wood attracts 40% of expenditure and Tesco, Wombwell Lane 16%. Overall main food shopping is less concentrated in the major stores than is commonly found and, although none forms a major destination, a large number of smaller stores are also used for this activity.

3.17 Whilst these results indicate a leakage of some 26% of available convenience expenditure from the catchment area, given the location of the shoppers who patronise supermarkets outside Barnsley, it is believed that there is unlikely to be a considerable degree of clawback of this expenditure.

3.18 As would be expected, top destinations in the town centre itself are even less concentrated with the largest single destination being the Co-op Pioneer at 6%.

3.19 Only about 15% of people link their main food shopping with visits to Barnsley town centre and the main linked activities are other food shopping, (52%), non-food shopping (40%) and financial services (43%). Only 6% of main food shopping trips were linked with work. Conclusions

3.20 Overall Barnsley town centre is the dominant centre in the study area and we are confident that we have identified the study area with reasonable accuracy. Surrounding town centres are not a major draw on the area, but Meadowhall diverts a significant amount of trade from the centre, particularly in higher order goods such as fashion goods for which people are prepared to travel further.

3.21 There are no strong negative perceptions of the town centre but equally it does not succeed in creating positive impressions. Its main advantage is seen as its closeness and this does leave it vulnerable to the offer of other centres in the main goods on which town centres rely for their retail attraction.

3.22 A full analysis of the household survey is included at Appendix 4.

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4 The Retailer/Business Operators Survey

4.1 This section outlines the responses to the retailer and business questionnaire. This survey was distributed to all retailers and a number of other businesses within the central core of Barnsley town centre. In total, some 700 questionnaires were delivered around the town centre including businesses operating out of the open and indoor markets. Following the initial distribution, a targeted mailshot was sent out to the businesses in the prime retailing locations where replies had not been received. As a result of this, Donaldsons are now in receipt of 94 completed questionnaires, a return rate of 13.4%. This is a disappointing rate of return, as we would normally expect at least 20%, but the number of responses do enable a relatively robust analysis of the survey to be undertaken. A copy of the questionnaire and the full survey analysis is included in Appendix 3. The key findings of the survey are set out below:

4.2 58% of respondents are independent retailers, 40% are national and regional multiple retailers and the remaining 2% are franchisees. Some 63.1% of the respondents have been in occupation for over 10 years and almost two thirds of these have been trading for over 20 years. Those trading for over 20 years account for almost 39% of the respondents. By comparison only 9.6% have been trading for less than 2 years. Almost two thirds of the independent retailers and businesses have been trading for over 10 years out of their premises in the centre. This demonstrates that Barnsley has a very important independent retail sector. It is vital to retain this unique offer within the centre because this is what provides Barnsley with its local distinctiveness. This is not to underestimate the importance of a strong representation by multiple retailers which attract a large proportion of the shopping population. The two sectors, whilst broadly in competition, also complement each other and help to offer a breadth of choice of goods and value not available from either sector alone. It is the right balance of multiple and independent retailers which is essential to sustain the health of the town centre and distinguishes it from its competitors.

4.3 Just under one third of the respondents indicate no plans for a change in their business premises over the next few years. Almost a fifth (19.1%) are planning to expand their current premises, just under 30% are anticipating planing to relocate to another unit within the town centre, whilst 10.6% are expecting to relocate to alternative premises outside of Barnsley town centre.

4.4 Only 14% of businesses indicate they open on a Sunday; of the remaining 86%, just 2.7% say they have plans to do so. There are a number of reasons given for not opening on Sundays including:

• A discernible lack of trade; • Having tried but finding insufficient business to continue Sunday opening; • A lack of concerted promotion or effort from retailers in the centre resulting in it not being

worthwhile to trade on Sundays; • Religion; • Rest day; and • Not fair to staff to expect them to work on Sundays.

4.5 Over the last two years:

• 47% of respondents indicate an improvement in trade;

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• 15% identify no change in their trading levels; and • 39% report a decline in trade.

Over the last year:

• 42% indicate an improvement in trade; • 31% indicate no change in trade; and • 27% indicate a decline.

4.6 Reasons for improvement include:

• the Market helping to draw in more trade than ever with day trippers coming from further

afield than the local catchment and spending the majority of the day in the centre; • more formerly vacant units now occupied; • redevelopment of parts of the centre helping to improve the offer and overall attractiveness

to both locals and visitors. Reasons for decline include:

• the attraction of out of town shopping centres such as Meadowhall which have large amounts of free parking;

• decline in the standard of the Market.

4.7 Expectations of performance over the next two years:

• 52% expect an improvement in trade; • 34% expect no change; and • 14% expect a decline.

Reasons for expectations of improvement include:

• opening of Morrisons with free parking will bring more shoppers to the Town Centre; • increase in consumer confidence as a result of continued economic growth.

Conversely, reasons for expectations of decline include:

• opening of Morrisons will take trade away; • expected downturn in the economy will have a knock on effect; and • lack of investment in the Town centre by the Local Authority.

4.8 When respondents were asked to rate a number of features about the town centre, there were

several which scored well. The Market was highly rated, with 48% scoring it as good or better and overall some three quarters believe it is satisfactory or better. Similarly, the range of places to eat and drink is rated by just under three quarters of respondents as satisfactory or better, whilst disabled access also rates highly, with over 80% believing it is well provided for. 75% also rate security in the town centre as satisfactory or better. The perception of disabled access is interesting - whilst the business operators believe it well catered for, it is not until disabled people

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try to use the town centre and services within that problems become apparent. This is especially important at present given the soon to be introduced Disability Discrimination Act and the consequences of this on retailers and businesses in terms of the access they must reasonably provide to their goods and services.

4.9 Poorly regarded aspects of the town centre include the range of activities other than shopping, with almost 60% rating this as poor or worse. Likewise there is a perceived lack of toilet and baby changing facilities, with some 56% rating it as poor or worse. The town centre environment is rated quite poorly with 54% expressing dissatisfaction with this. Parking generally scores poorly, both in terms of the amount available and also the cost of it. Almost half of the respondents believe there is a lack of parking and just under 60% rate what there is as too expensive. This is not an unusual response and town centre businesses often cite the availability of free parking as a major factor in attracting visitors to out of town locations. Whilst there is an element of truth in this, the cost of parking does not deter visitors from patronising centres which offer excellent facilities in terms of shops, services and other attractions and the profits from parking can provide essential funding for other town centre activities. If a town centre offers consumers what they want, they will come, irrespective of a charge for parking.

4.10 54% of the respondents regard the town centre environment as poor or worse. This is a concern as the town centre environmental quality is a vital aspect of any centre. In connection with this, some 41% of respondents rate the maintenance and cleanliness of the centre as poor or worse. Whilst the majority do believe it is at least satisfactory, there is a large proportion who believe that more must be done. The appearance in terms of repair and cleanliness is one of the first things a visitor, or indeed a resident, will notice upon arrival at any destination. If the environment is poor, then expectations and views of a centre will similarly decrease, which can be a major influence on whether a visitor will return to that place or choose to go elsewhere.

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4.11 Access by public transport has been well regarded by respondents, with 80% rating it as satisfactory or better and 42% as good to excellent. This is an important factor for businesses and retailers as it is likely that a large number of staff, as well as shoppers and service users, will rely on public transport to get them to and from the centre. An efficient and well run public transport system will reduce congestion in the town centre and help to reduce factors such as pollution and reliance on private modes of transport in accordance with government legislation and national planning policy.

4.12 The latter sections of the questionnaire ask respondents for their views on the strengths and weaknesses of the town centre and any improvements they believe could be made to strengthen the vitality and viability of the town. Barnsley Market is cited as a major strength of the town centre by 35% of respondents. Many comments make reference to this and regard the Market as making a big difference to trade as it is a ‘crowd puller’, helping to distinguish the town from others in the region. Despite this obvious strength, several comments are made that in order to retain this, the market is in need of investment and if it was kept clean and attractive, yet more people would visit the centre. It would appear that investment is required to arrest the threatened decline of this major feature of the town centre. The other major strength commented upon is the compact nature of the town centre and the fact that the retail outlets are all in very close proximity to each other.

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4.13 Other strengths to emerge from this question are the spirit and friendliness of the local people and the wide variety of independent retailers and businesses within the town centre. One other point mentioned several times is the excellent value for money offer available within the town centre.

4.14 Whilst some people cite the value for money offer as a strength, others feel that the preponderance of charity shops and discount retailers detracts from the overall view of Barnsley as it presents an image of a poor and run down centre. Unsurprisingly, the availability and cost of parking is again mentioned as a main failing in the town centre, whilst the lack of variety of shops and businesses is identified as a disadvantage alongside the lack of a major department store. One other main concern surrounds the perceived oversupply of pubs, bars and nightclubs in the centre and the anti-social behaviour this attracts.

4.15 Overall, the retailers and businesses believe Barnsley needs to be more attractive and better maintained to attract and retain visitors and residents, including in this better seating, more green open areas and a better standard of repair of key and landmark buildings sited around the town centre. The Market area needs to be invested, in either through redevelopment or greater investment in the existing fabric to improve what is already there and help to integrate it better with the rest of the town centre.

4.16 Finally, the questionnaire asked respondents to make comments about the town centre. The majority of these concern issues already raised in the questionnaire. These include:

• concerns over the town centre environment, with more seating required, fountains, street

maps, greenery, more colour and better security; • a perceived scruffy image of the town centre, with too much litter, and pigeons causing a

nuisance; • the town having the appearance of a weekend place, with too many fun pubs and bars and

a lack of decent quality restaurants;

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• the need for a greater variety of shops and businesses and the oversupply of discount and charity shops, a lack of high quality fashion outlets and a department store;

• the belief that the quality and range of independent retailers and businesses give the centre a unique character and that this style needs to be protected and encouraged; and

• the need to invest in the Market and return it to its former glory.

4.17 One comment from a long term retailer in the town, trading since 1947, is worth bearing in mind in the context of this study and the wider work ongoing: “For the last fifteen years it has been all talk and no action, too many years have gone by and the decline has taken a hold.”

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5 Barnsley Town Centre Health Check Summary

5.1 A town centre health check should determine the state of the town’s vitality and viability, which is dependent on: a wide range of attractions and amenities; an attractive environment; good accessibility to and within the centre; and the centre’s ability to attract continuing investment in development or refurbishment of existing buildings (PPG6 June 1996). This report considers the current state of health of Barnsley town centre measured against indicators, including those recommended in PPG6. The town centre is also benchmarked against a number of competing or similar centres (Chesterfield, Halifax, Huddersfield, Rotherham and Wakefield) to enable its performance relative to those centres to be measured now and monitored over time. To demonstrate the position of Barnsley in the wider retail hierarchy, we have also included consideration of the performance of the two higher order regional centres – Leeds and Sheffield – in respect of a selection of indicators. This section summarises the findings of the health check, the full analysis being included at Appendix 6. Attractions

5.2 Barnsley’s attractions include: The Markets, The Alhambra Centre, a small selection of excellent and widely famed independent retailers (for example, Pollyanna, Frank Bird), a lively pub scene, the public library, art gallery and small theatre. Action

5.3 Several improvement schemes have been carried out over the last few years, including the development of the Frank Whitworth Centre in George Yard. The purchase of the Metropolitan Centre by Yorkshire Forward provides the opportunity for a major town centre redevelopment to provide the standard and scale of facilities currently lacking in Barnsley. The Council have been extremely proactive in addressing Barnsley’s problems – resulting in the “Rethinking Barnsley” Initiative and the commissioning of the Masterplan. Retail Centre Rankings

5.4 The position of Barnsley has declined over the last two years according to the Experian Goad rankings - placed at 102nd in 2001, it fell to 122nd in 2002. The only towns from the regional comparators ranked lower are Halifax (191st) and Rotherham (211th) on last year’s statistics. The best performing of the other centres is Huddersfield ranked at 80th for the 2002 list (on the criteria considered by Experian Goad).

5.5 Management Horizons have also listed Barnsley as a declining centre - at 105th in 1998/9, it has continually fallen over the years and is ranked at 135th for 2003/4. Rotherham is again ranked the lowest at 231st, whilst Halifax similarly is performing worse than Barnsley at 174th. The best placed town is again Huddersfield, where it is ranked at 73rd for the current year.

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Diversity of Uses 5.6 According to Experian Goad, as at September 2002, there was 91,092m² (980,000 ft²) of gross

retail floorspace in Barnsley town centre distributed over some 460 retail units. Convenience floorspace accounts for just under 14.2% compared to 16.5% for the national average. Correspondingly, there is a slight over representation of comparison floorspace in percentage terms (56.4% compared to a national average of 53%). This does not mean that the town centre is over-represented by comparison retailers; on the contrary, there are many such operators missing from Barnsley and others who occupy units which are smaller than might be expected in a town of this size (see Gap Analysis later in this section). 9.4% of the floorspace is vacant (national average 8.2%), whilst 17.7% is given over to service uses (national average 20.4%).

5.7 These rankings do not necessarily mean that Barnsley itself has suffered a radical decline – more that other centres have improved by attracting new investment. It should be noted that the Rankings ignore the vital contribution that independent retailers make to the attractions of a town centre.

5.8 It is when improving centres are in direct competition that there is the greatest danger of real decline – if sufficient visitors transfer their loyalty because they prefer the retail offer, services, environment or accessibility of another centre, trade suffers and eventually business operators may no longer be able to remain in town.

5.9 The net floorspace figures compiled by the Council estimate town centre floorspace at 128,365m² (1,381,720ft²). This figure includes warehousing, offices and other uses as well as retail and service space. It also covers a slightly larger area than the centre as defined by Experian Goad. Of the smaller benchmark towns, only Huddersfield possesses more retail floorspace (as defined by Goad).

5.10 The market operates 5 days a week indoor and 4 days semi open and outdoor. There are currently 90 stalls in the indoor market spread over ground and first floors, with rent levels varing between £90 and £1,550 per month and it is 100% let. The meat and fish market is similarly 100% let, with rents between £430 and £1,400 per month per stall. The semi-open market consists of 118 stalls and is again fully let, with rents averaging around £23 per day. The open market has 100 fixed stalls and take up levels are currently running at 65%, the standard rental for these stalls being £25 per day and £7 per half stall on Sundays. Antique collectors markets and car boot sales are held on Tuesdays and Sundays respectively. In addition, specialist markets are held throughout the year.

5.11 The Market clearly attracts a great many loyal customers – 64% of respondents to our Household Survey shop there – but there is a need for new investment in redesign and redevelopment to secure its continuing success and to attract the shoppers of the future.

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5.12 Other town centre uses include traditional professional office based services (e.g. solicitors and accountants) mainly on Regent Street and the surrounding area. In addition there is a Library, Cinema and an Art Gallery. Retailer Demand

5.13 The Focus database currently registers 42 requirements for space in Barnsley town centre, equivalent to a ranking on this basis of 152nd out of 700 towns and cities across the UK as at April 2003. This is a slight improvement on the position at October 2002, when 41 requirements resulted in a ranking of 156th out of 700. Property Data records 43 requirements for space. These requirements must be viewed with a degree of caution as many retailers register interest in every town of a certain profile where they currently have no representation and have no urgent intention of taking space in most of those locations. Nevertheless, the inclusion of a centre in such a list is an indication of potential demand.

5.14 When viewed against the comparators, Barnsley lies fourth out of the smaller regional centres, with Chesterfield, Huddersfield and Halifax all recorded as having more requirements. Shopping Rents

5.15 Prime rents in the centre (on Cheapside) are in the region of £1,184 - £1,292/m² (£110 - £120/ft) in terms of zone A. More secondary pitches vary considerably – for example, Market Street rents are in the region of £506 - £538/ m² (£47 - £50/ft²). The Alhambra Centre prime areas have seen rents reviewed to £700/m² (£65/ft²) with levels of £592/m² (£55/ft²) being achieved in the more secondary areas. Rents in areas such as Kendray Street and Shambles Street are around £323/m² (£30/ft²). Prime rents in Barnsley are higher than the other smaller benchmark centres, whilst Leeds and Sheffield are - as expected - considerably higher (around £2,800/m² [£260/ft²] and £2,152/m² [£200/ft²] respectively)

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Commercial Yields 5.16 Prime retail yields are believed to be in the region of 6.5% although there is very little evidence to

support this and one prime town centre investment has remained unsold for some time at an initial yield of 6.75%. Better evidence is available on more secondary areas, with 1-21 Market Street sold in 2002 reflecting a yield of 7.4%. Proportion of Vacant Street Level Property

5.17 9.4% of Barnsley’s retail floorspace was vacant as at the Experian Goad survey date of September 2002. This is a very similar level to Wakefield and Rotherham. Leeds and Sheffield both have a higher percentage of vacant ground floor space. Halifax appears to be performing the best of the centres, with a vacancy rate at 4.4% at the last survey date.

5.18 From our own survey in February 2003, a total of 41 vacant retail properties were identified, which is a considerable improvement on the Goad survey of September 2002.The largest vacant unit in Barnsley town centre is the former supermarket on Shambles Street with some 3,810m² (41,000 ft²) of space available. This unit accounts for some 45% of the total vacant retail floorspace in the town centre. Pedestrian Flows

5.19 Unsurprisingly, Saturday is by far the busiest day, followed by Friday and then Tuesday. The prime shopping areas of Cheapside and Queen Street have the highest pedestrian flows recorded across the town centre area. Surprisingly, Market Street has a relatively low pedestrian flow given its dominance of the more secondary retailing positions.

5.20 Comparison with the figures from a 1997 survey has recorded little overall change, though since that time there have been significant increases in certain areas of the town centre including Market Hill, Midland Street and the Interchange.

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Accessibility 5.21 The Council have been striving to improve accessibility both in respect of the town centre and

across the wider district. The Barnsley Community Plan sets out several key strategic objectives, one of which is to improve accessibility. The main emphasis within the current UDP and the community plan is to encourage use of alternative means of transport to the car. Sustainable transport is also an objective within the South Yorkshire Local Transport Plan.

5.22 The transport interchange in the town centre provides a fully integrated public transport service.

5.23 The main modes of access into the town centre are by car and bus, though access on foot accounts for just under 20% of respondents interviewed in November 2000 for the Colin Buchanan report (compared with just 12% of respondents to the visitor survey and 13% of those to the household survey carried out for this study). Car usage increases quite considerably on a Saturday mainly at the expense of buses. The main car parks used by visitors to the centre are the Metropolitan Centre and Alhambra Centre multi-storey car parks. Perceptions of Safety and Occurrence of Crime

5.24 Recorded crime has increased by 15.6% over the last three years of recorded information. Whilst shoplifting has decreased by nearly 20% over the period (2000 - 2002), crimes of dishonesty have increased overall by 9.5%. The incidence of vehicle crime has remained relatively static with a small decrease of 4.2%. Violent crime has increased by over 50%.

5.25 The retailer and business questionnaire revealed some measure of dissatisfaction with perceptions of safety and adequacy of police presence. A quarter of respondents indicated dissatisfaction over security in the town centre and almost 40% thought police presence was inadequate.

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State of Town Centre Environmental Quality 5.26 The general environment of the town centre is reasonably pleasant. Despite this, there are areas of

concern. The paving on Cheapside and Queen Street is very old and scruffy looking, and the environment of Cheapside is set against a backdrop of a decaying concrete area comprising the Metropolitan Centre and a block of property opposite. Parts of the street furniture are becoming shabby and in need of redecoration, whilst several of the large planters on Queen Street require repair or replacement.

5.27 The further one moves away from the pedestrianised area the more the environment changes to a car-dominated scene. George Yard has been refurbished to create a pleasant backdrop to the only open green area in the town centre. This is, however, marred by the general appearance of the rear of The Arcade, which backs onto George Yard. Retailer Representation and Gap Analysis

5.28 There is no major independent or multiple traditional style department store in Barnsley town centre. Despite this, there are still 5 department/variety stores (as described by Goad) - Marks and Spencer, Littlewoods, Wilkinsons, TK Maxx and Woolworths. The centre has nine shoe retailers, a mixture of independent and discount multiple operators, but few of the more traditional or higher quality retailers such as Dolcis or Jones Bootmaker. With the notable exception of Rotherham, most of the benchmark towns are better represented in this sector. As far as ladieswear is concerned, there are many (mostly small) independent retailers, including the excellent Pollyanna, as well as a few mid range multiple operators such as Evans, Dorothy Perkins and Bon Marché, but a lack of the modern better quality multiples such as River Island or Miss Selfridge. There are a few high quality independent menswear retailers including Frank Bird and Boardwalk and mid range multiple retailers such as Burton and Greenwoods, with Ciro Citterio and Officers Club (both in the Alhambra Centre) representing the better quality end of the multiple market. Although the number of fashion retailers compares favourably with most of the benchmark towns, many of the shops are very small and Barnsley would benefit greatly from better representation by the higher quality multiple end of the fashion market.

5.29 There is a relatively good choice of music retailers with both multiples and independent operators within the town centre. Given the size of the centre, it is debatable whether another multiple would wish to locate here. There are five sports wear retailers, three of which are multiple operators. Excluding W H Smiths, there are three bookselllers (including the popular Barnsley Bookworm in The Arcade), but none of the better quality multiple retailers. Of the other sectors considered, there are five phone shops (compared with twelve in Huddersfield, but only four in Rotherham) and a limited range of furniture retailers and providers of ladies accessories/lingerie.

5.30 Overall, the key areas where Barnsley is underrepresented is in Department stores, bookshops and high quality mens and ladies wear multiple operators.

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Conclusion 5.31 Our findings (including those of the various surveys) indicate that Barnsley is performing relatively

well in some areas (for example, there is virtually no vacant space in the prime retail core) and relatively poorly in others – most importantly in the lack of key retail attractors such as a traditional department store.

5.32 The town is regarded as the main shopping centre for two thirds of its catchment population, yet it retains only some 40% of the available comparison goods expenditure within the catchment area. This is an indication of the attraction of competing centres such as Meadowhall for higher order purchases and, in particular, fashion items. This is especially apparent amongst the higher socio-economic groups.

5.33 Barnsley town centre has many strengths including its compact nature, its friendly people, accessibility, independent retailers, Markets, and value for money offer.

5.34 There are also a number of areas requiring considerable improvement, the most important of which, in terms of securing the town’s future, is major investment to provide a department store and shop units capable of accommodating modern retailers currently unrepresented in town or whose existing units are too small or poorly shaped.

5.35 Allied to such a development is the need to redesign and upgrade the Markets, to encourage a wider range of quality leisure venues and to carry out a variety of environmental improvements to provide the ambience required by the ever more sophisticated user of town centre facilities.

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6 Retail Capacity Analysis

The Catchment Area and Population 6.1 The study area is shown at Appendix 5. It is based initially on the results of the Shopper Street

Survey and covers the post code areas recorded three or more times together with any other post code areas within the geographical extent of the area so defined. The area very closely approximates the Borough boundary, but does include postcode areas immediately over the boundary in Wakefield and Rotherham Boroughs.

6.2 The results of the household survey bear out this definition of the Catchment Area. Overall, 66% of respondents regarded Barnsley as their main town centre. This was a fairly general response across the zones with the highest percentage in the Barnsley Central zone (84%) and the lowest in the South East zone (49%). Within this zone 17% regarded Meadowhall as their main centre, 16% Wombwell and 6% Hoyland. The lower percentage does not result from the influence of a bigger town outside the study area. The influence of the larger towns outside the study area can be seen but there is nowhere significant. The percentage of respondents citing other towns outside the survey area as a whole is: -

Meadowhall 8.9% Wakefield 4.5% Sheffield 3.9% Doncaster 3.0% Rotherham 1.5% Leeds 0.3% Huddersfield 0.3%

It is concluded that the survey area is an accurate reflection of the true catchment area of Barnsley town centre.

6.3 MapInfo estimates the population of this area as follows:-

1991 233,380 2000 237,682

The Councils estimates for the Borough are:-

1996 226,100 2001 227,600

The difference in the areas of the Borough and Study areas probably accounts for most of the difference in population. The Council’s own Borough estimate is just over 4% higher than the 2001 Census published figure of 218,063.

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6.4 The Council’s forecasts indicate a small decline in population from 227,600 in 2001 to 226,300 in 2011. This is well within any margin of forecasting error and would not be significant for the estimates of capacity. We have therefore held the population of the catchment area constant at its 2000 level for the forecast period to 2016. Expenditure per head

6.5 MapInfo produce two sets of data for local expenditure and national trends – goods based and business based. The goods based set identifies convenience and comparison expenditure according to the goods themselves. The business based set classifies expenditure according to whether it passes through a convenience or comparison business. Thus the expenditure on the increasing range of comparison goods sold through foodstores is classified as convenience expenditure in the business based data. The business based convenience expenditure data shows a distinctly faster rate of increase than the goods based – 1.8% pa over the period 1976 to 1997 compared to 0.1% in the goods based set. The corollary is that the business based figures show lower growth for comparison expenditure. In line with common practise and to maintain consistency with earlier work in Barnsley for the UDP/LDF, we have used goods based expenditure figures.

6.6 MapInfo has estimated the local expenditure per head in the catchment area (in 2000 prices) as :- Local Great Britain Convenience £1,415 a head £1,453 a head Comparison £2,070 a head £2,290 a head This suggests that the convenience expenditure in the catchment area is 2.6% below the GB average and comparison expenditure 9.6% below. These figures have been adjusted for special forms of trading (SFT - i.e. mail order, internet, automatic vending machines) as set out in the latest Mapinfo Information Brief on goods based expenditure figures (99/2) at 0.9% for convenience goods expenditure and 7.5% for comparison goods expenditure to give the following local rates of expenditure through conventional retail outlets:- Convenience £1,402 a head Comparison £1,915 a head

We have considered whether the proportion of expenditure through SFT should be increased in the forecasts to take account of increasing internet sales. At present we do not feel that there is sufficient consensus on the future of internet shopping amongst retail analysts to justify making such an allowance, but it is one of the uncertainties in forecasting which will increase as we move away from the base year.

6.7 For forecasting convenience goods expenditure we have used MapInfo ultra long term trend (1963

– 1997). This is the lowest of the rates but is statistically the most reliable. There is little difference between any of the rates and they are all so low that in practice it makes a limited difference which trend is used. Again, we have followed common practice and have maintained consistency with past work in Barnsley. We have had regard to the later MapInfo data now available for business based expenditure figures up to 2000. This latest set of business based expenditure trends do not

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vary significantly from the earlier ones based on the period to 1997and there is no need in our view to try to adjust the goods based figures, which are becoming rather dated, to take this later data into account. New goods based data will be published by MapInfo later in the year.

6.8 For comparison goods expenditure, the ultra long term trend of 3.6% is looking too low and MapInfo suggested that the long term trend of 4.2% pa might be more realistic. To take a relatively cautious view of the future we have taken a rate of change of 4% pa.

6.9 The expenditure forecasts per head are shown in Table 1. The convenience expenditure figure shows little change over the period to 2016 increasing by £22 per head. In contrast, the comparison goods figure nearly doubles from £1,991 to £3,587 per head. Table 1 – Forecasts of Expenditure Per Head

Year Convenience Goods Expenditure Comparison Goods Expenditure

2000 £1,402 £1,915 2001 £1,403 £1,991 2006 £1,410 £2,423 2011 £1,417 £2,948 2016 £1,425 £3,587

NB: Excluding Special Forms of Trading Source: MapInfo Targetpro Report – Barnsley Information Brief 99/2 Forecast trend rates – Convenience 0.1% pa

Comparison 4.0% pa Convenience Floorspace Requirements

6.10 Table 2 indicates that there is some £319m of convenience expenditure in the catchment area at 2001 and that this is forecast to increase to £323m by 2011 and £325m by 2016. Table 2 – Catchment Area Expenditure – Convenience Goods

Year Population Expenditure per Head Available Expenditure £m 2001 227,600 £1,403 £319.32m 2006 227,600 £1,410 £320.92m 2011 227,600 £1,417 £322.51m 2016 227,600 £1,425 £324.33m

6.11 The household survey indicates that the pattern of a weekly main food shop is well established with 66% of households reporting a weekly main food shop, 20% more frequent main food shopping trips and 13% less frequent ones (with 1% don’t knows). The average spend per trip worked out at about £50 per main food shopping trip. This would total around £2600 per household a year. MapInfo estimate the average convenience expenditure per household is £3396 per household per year (adjusted for SFT) which suggests that the main food spend estimated by respondents is 77% of the total. There is a recognised tendency for respondents to over-estimate the proportion of expenditure spent on main food trips and we consider that the conventional 70% of expenditure is a reasonable basis on which to plan.

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6.12 Working on this basis the provision to be made for large foodstores is as follows:- Available Expenditure £319.32m Main Food Expenditure (x70%) £223.52m Large Store Share (x70%) £156.47m Allowance for out of catchment exp (less 8%) £143.94m Top up expenditure £95.8m 16% Top-up share £15.32 Total Large Foodstore Share £159.26 The survey figures suggest that 8% of expenditure is being spent in large foodstores outside the catchment area. No one store is significant and we consider that the flows reflect the general convenience to shoppers rather than any “leakage” that could be planned to be “clawed back”. A 10% allowance is normally used for turnover derived from residents beyond the catchment area, although there is no reliable published information which supports this figure. In our view, a study of the postcodes of respondents to the visitors’ survey who were in Barnsley for the purpose of shopping and a consideration of the location of competing foodstores corroborates the local 8% outflow which we have used. We have not made an allowance for inflow from beyond the catchment area as we have no evidence to support such an allowance and because of the central location of the foodstores within the Barnsley Study Area. The provision to be planned for n this basis is £159.26m.

6.13 The large stores in the area have a combined turnover capacity (based on the company average) of £110.36m a shown in table 3. About 10% of this turnover is likely to be on comparison goods. Although the leading grocery companies do not publish a breakdown of sales by product type, it is estimated that Asda for instance achieves about 7% of its turnover on clothing and footwear and 4% on household and home goods, in addition to achieving significant toiletries and health goods sales. Asda is well known for selling more comparison goods in its stores than its competitors. Working on the basis of an average 10% of turnover being from comparison goods would leave a turnover capacity in the existing large stores of £99.32m. This suggests that there was capacity for additional floorspace to accommodate £59.94m of convenience expenditure in 2001. This would rise to £61.38m by 2011 and £62.2m by 2016.

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Table 3 – Benchmark Turnover of Large Foodstores Store Net

Floorspace Turnover per sq m Estimated

Benchmark Turnover Asda, Old Mill Lane 2,790 m² £10,011/ m² £27.93m Tesco, Wombwell Lane 2,790 m² £11,001/ m² £30.69m Morrisons, Corton Wood 3,769 m² £9,989/ m² £37.56m Co-op Pioneer, Barnsley TC 2,510 m² £5,651/ m² £14.18m Total 11,850 m² £110.36m

Proposals Morrisons, Westway 3,380 m² £9,989/ m² £33.76m Tesco Extension, Wombwell Lane

1,830 m² £11,001/ m² £20.13m

Total 11,850 m² £53.89m Source: Turnover Retail Rankings 2002 – adjusted to exclude petrol sales and include VAT

6.14 The Council has considered two applications for substantial amounts of convenience floorspace: a new Morrisons store on land off Westway, Barnsley (which is now under construction) and an extension to the Tesco store at Wombwell. On the basis of the company average turnovers these stores would have a combined turnover of £53.89m (see table 3), although we acknowledge that Tesco would claim that their extension would have a significantly lower sales density than the existing floorspace. Allowing for comparison goods sales from this floorspace (10% of the turnover) suggests a convenience goods turnover of £47.81m.

6.15 We conclude that there is expenditure available to support the Tesco extension, although this should not be taken as an endorsement of the calculations made by the applicants in their supporting documentation. Our conclusion is that there is at present a need for additional convenience goods floorspace in the Borough. This would be largely met by the new Morrisons store and Tesco extension and there is no need to consider allocating additional land for large foodstores in the Borough. The residual requirement after the current proposals are taken into account is about £12.13m at present and marginally more in later years. This does not amount to more than about one third of the turnover of a moderately large foodstore.

6.16 There is still a considerable amount of convenience floorspace in the rest of the Borough. It is impossible to assess the turnover capacity of this with any accuracy and little potential for new development arising from growth in expenditure. Local convenience retail facilities, however, could have a particular role to play in anchoring the many smaller centres in the Borough, in reducing the need to travel and in improving access to facilities for those with no car. We therefore recommend that applications in the smaller identified centres should be treated on their merits. Such developments should, however, be appropriate in size to the function of the centre. Comparison Goods Expenditure

6.17 Table 4 indicates that there is £453m of comparison goods expenditure in the catchment area and that this is likely to increase to £671m by 2011 and £816m by 2016.

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Table 4 – Catchment Area Expenditure – Comparison Goods Year Population Expenditure per Head Available Expenditure £m 2001 227,600 £1,991 £453.15m 2006 227,600 £2,423 £551.47m 2011 227,600 £2,948 £679.96m 2016 227,600 £3,587 £816.40m

6.18 The household survey suggests that the town centre is retaining the following proportions of the

expenditure Including those Excluding those

who do not buy who do not buy

Clothing, Footwear and other fashion goods 53.1% (54.2%) Furniture and floorcoverings 34.5% (44.2%) DIY and Hardware 43.0% (53.8%) Large Electrical Goods 43.6% (55.4%) Small Electrical Goods 42.4% (55.4%)

A significant proportion of respondents recorded that they did not buy furniture, floorcoverings, DIY or Hardware or electrical goods. The percentages adjusted for these responses are shown in brackets. This would suggest an overall market share of comparison goods for the town centre of about 53%.

6.19 This would give a town centre turnover estimate of about £240m. The comparison goods floorspace is estimated at 49,517 m² (553,000 ft²). in the September 2002 Goad report. This would give an estimate of net sales floorspace of 33,394 m² (359,450 ft²) using the conventional conversion factor of 0.65. The estimate of sales density on this basis would be £668/ft². This is extremely high even in the 2000 prices used in this report and we do not find it credible in Barnsley. On the basis of £500/ft², the turnover would be £179.73m and we regard this as a more likely estimate of town centre turnover. This gives a market share of 40%, which we regard as a reasonable level for a town of this size experiencing substantial competition from nearby centres including a modern regional centre like Meadowhall.

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6.20 It is common in retail capacity and impact studies to estimate turnover by using these broadbrush estimates of turnover per square metre. The use of survey data can provide better estimates by multiplying the available expenditure in the catchment area by the proportion of respondents reporting that they used the centre. However, there is considerable statistical uncertainty in all sample surveys and this is not reduced significantly until impossibly large numbers are surveyed. When the proportion of shoppers using the centre is multiplied up by the relatively large sum of expenditure in the catchment area the range of uncertainty is also multiplied.

6.21 Further difficulties are experienced in designing survey questions that accurately identify the usage of centres by the population. This is more marked in seeking information on town centres than in identifying for instance food shopping patterns since most people use the same foodstore most of the time, whereas people use a range of centres and outlets for buying comparison goods depending on the type of goods to be bought. The best way to survey retail expenditure would be to use a diary system recording all expenditure by location and type of goods over a period a months, but this would be prohibitively expensive. The type of survey we used could therefore only give an approximation of the town centre turnover which is subject to considerable uncertainty.

6.22 It is for this reason that we look for corroborating evidence in turnover per square metre. In many cases this supports the survey-based estimate of turnover, but in this case it did not. From carrying out such surveys and studies we have considerable experience of what town centres are turning over at, and what market shares they achieve within their catchment areas. Looking at the survey-based estimate of town centre turnover, we do not believe that it is credible if the floorspace estimate is accurate and made the judgement that a turnover/m² based estimate was preferable. This was then checked against market retention within the catchment area which suggested 40% market retention. We also feel that the survey did indicate that we have identified the catchment area with reasonable accuracy. In those circumstances, the 40% market retention rate for comparison goods in a town the size of Barnsley is credible, and actually higher than might be expected, given the proximity of Meadowhall. Thus the expected market share and turnover/m² tend to corroborate each other, but the survey estimate was on its own.

6.23 If the market share is held constant for the forecasts, the town centre would have to accommodate the following levels of turnover:-

2001 £179.73m 2006 £220.59m (+ £40.86m) 2011 £271.98m (+ £92.25m) 2016 £326.56m (+ £146.83m)

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6.24 A proportion of this turnover increase is likely to be accommodated by the increasingly efficient use

of floorspace. It is generally assumed in capacity exercises that the sales density of existing floorspace will increase by 1.5% a year (like for like). This suggests that without further floorspace provision the turnover of the town centre would increase as follows:-

2001 £179.73m 2006 £193.62m

2011 £208.58m 2016 £224.70m

Thus between 2001 and 2011, £28.85m of the additional £92.25m of the turnover would be met by increased floorspace efficiency, leaving £63.4m to be met by additional floorspace. Between 2001 and 2016, £44.97m of the £146.83m would be met by increased efficiency leaving £101.86m to be met from new floorspace.

6.25 The average turnover per sq.ft. was estimated to be £500/ft² in 2001. Allowing for the floorspace efficiency factor of 1.5% this would increase to £580/ft² in 2011 and £625/ft² by 2016. This suggests that the net sales floorspace required to accommodate the increased turnover would be :- By 2011 109,000 ft² (9,578 m²) By 2016 163,000 ft² (15,143 m²) Allowing for a net to gross ratio of 70% would indicate a gross floorspace provision of about 155,000 ft² (1367 m²) gross by 2011 and 233,000 ft² (21,632 m²) gross by 2016. This would represent a major redevelopment opportunity in the town centre.

6.26 These figures can be no more than broadly indicative not only because of the inherent uncertainties but also because the floorspace requirement would alter according to how the floorspace was provided. For instance, if a sizeable proportion of it were to be taken by a department store, which typically have a sales density substantially below the level of £500 per sq. ft used in this calculation, then the floorspace capacity would be correspondingly greater. Furthermore, if any major scheme involves the redevelopment of the Metropolitan Centre, as is planned, the existing space in that centre would need to be replaced, allowing a much larger development. Such a scheme, particularly one including a quality department store, is likely to attract new multiple retailers into the town centre, potentially increasing Barnsley’s market share which, in effect, produces capacity for even more floorspace.

6.27 The capacity exercise is based on the continuation of past trends which become increasingly uncertain the longer into the future they are projected. Moreover, the economic circumstances which give rise to retailer demand and development viability will inevitably change and what is a viable development now, may not be so in a few years time. In general, we believe that the capacity forecasts should hold good for about five years given reasonable economic stability. Beyond that, trends in retailing practices, expenditure and shopping habits are likely to change to the extent that estimates of floorspace requirements will be significantly different if carried out in

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five years time. What we have aimed to do is to give a sound basis for planning decisions in the next five years and an indication of where the Council should be aiming in the longer term.

6.28 We also advise against the reliance on very specific figures of capacity, partly because they are

inevitably surrounded by a degree of uncertainty, but more particularly because additional floorspace will be provided in large additional amounts rather than smoothly over the plan period. For instance, there will almost certainly be only one opportunity for a significant retail-led redevelopment in the town centre by 2011 and it is important that it is large enough to meet the needs up until then. Our main conclusion is therefore that there is capacity for a major redevelopment scheme in the town centre providing an increase of about 150,000 ft² gross by 2011. It would not matter too much if it were larger provided that there was retailer demand to make it successful. Bulky Goods Provision

6.29 Bulky goods are defined here as electrical , furniture and floorcoverings , and DIY and Hardware goods. As shown in table 5, expenditure on these goods was about £620 per head in the catchment area in 2000. Expenditure on electrical goods is growing quickly – by about 7% a year in the long term ( 1963 to 1996 - Data Consultancy Brief 98/3). Expenditure on carpets and floorcoverings is growing more slowly than comparison goods expenditure as a whole (1.8% of the period ) and DIY/hardware, marginally more slowly than average for comparison goods although the trends are strongly influenced by the downturn in the housing market in the early 1990s and do not reflect the more buoyant conditions of recent years. Overall bulky goods expenditure is forecast to increase from £620 a head in 2000 to £1284 a head in 2016.

The bulky goods share is forecast to increase from 32% of comparison goods expenditure in 2000 to 36% in 2016, largely driven by the sale of electrical goods.

Table 5 – Bulky Goods Expenditure per Head Forecast

Year Electrical Goods

Furniture & Floor

Coverings

DIY & Hardwarwe

Total % of Total Comparison

2000 £245 £186 £189 £620 32.32 2001 £262 £189 £195 £646 32.44 2006 £370 £207 £226 £803 33.14 2011 £521 £226 £262 £1,009 34.22 2016 £734 £247 £303 £1,284 35.80

Source: MapInfo Targetpro Report- Barnsley Forecasts – URPI Info Brief 98/3 – Ultra Long Term Trends Electrical Goods 7.1% pa Furniture & Floor Coverings 1.8% pa DIY & Hardware 3.0% pa

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6.30 Within the catchment area the available bulky goods expenditure is forecast to increase from £147.02m in 200I to £292.23m in 2016. (table 6). The increase is £82.63m by 2011 and £145.21m by 2016. Not all of this additional expenditure will require additional floorspace. It is already implicitly assumed that 40% of this will be accommodated in the town centre (because it is estimated that the town centre retains 40% of all comparison expenditure and there are several outlets retailing goods included in this sector – for example, Wilkinsons, Curry’s, Factory Shack etc.) and this is included in the estimate of additional town centre floorspace calculated above. There is no evidence to suggest a significant level of floorspace efficiency being achieved by the leading bulky goods operators and no contribution to meeting needs from this source is included. However, as the household survey demonstrates, there is no reason why more bulky goods cannot be sold from the town centre or edge of centre locations. The estimate of bulky goods floorspace should not be assumed to have to be provided out-of-centre and it will be necessary for applicants to demonstrate a sequential approach to site selection. We consider it reasonable to plan for about 50% of bulky goods retailing to require large floorspace units. On this basis there will be a need for floorspace to accommodate £41.31m of turnover by 2011 and £ 72.61m by 2016.

Table 6 – Catchment Area Expenditure – Bulky Goods

Year Population Expenditure per Head

Available Expenditure

Cumulative Increase

2001 227,600 £646 £147.03m 2006 227,600 £803 £182.76m +35.73m 2011 227,600 £1,009 £229.65m +82.62m 2016 227,600 £1,284 £292.24m +145.21m

6.31 The sales densities of retail warehouses varies considerably between operators with electrical

goods operators averaging overall £500 per sq. ft and DIY stores about £195 per sq ft including VAT (B & Q). While the turnover per sq ft for all types of retail warehouses averages about £327 (inc. VAT), this will vary according to the mix of retailers in any area. We have used this figure to estimate the floorspace requirement in the Borough. This indicates a requirement for about 126,000 sq ft (11,706 m²) by 2011 and 222,000 sq ft (20.438 m²) by 2016 net. The net floorspace generally accounts for about 80% of gross in retail warehouses and the gross floorspace needs is therefore estimated at 157,500 sq. ft. (14,632m² ) in 2001 and 277,500 sq. ft. (25,780m²) in 2016.

6.32 The floorspace of the new B & Q at Stairfoot (together with the planned Curry’s and JJB Sports at the Peel Centre) meets a substantial part of this provision and any need for further floorspace should therefore only arise nearer the end of the period. However, the turnover of the B & Q is likely to be less than we have assumed in the available capacity figures, which are based on an average bulky goods turnover of £327/ft². This is, as we have noted, a problem inherent in all capacity exercises based on average turnovers, and particularly those examining bulky goods. In general, we are opposed to making ad hoc adjustments since figures should average themselves out. Furthermore, there is no planning control of changes of the goods sold from the existing retail warehousing within the bulky goods category, so it is unreasonable to be too precise.

6.33 In this case, the B & Q is such a large part of the additional provision that special consideration is necessary. We have concluded that the need for additional floorspace should occur nearer the end of the plan period. As a result of the “B & Q effect”, the need may arise sooner than it would otherwise, but this will depend on what changes may occur in the existing retail warehouses over

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the period. Should such need arise, there would be advantages in seeking to concentrate further provision at existing retail locations, to maximise the potential for the use of public transport and to avoid cross town journeys by car to compare retail offers. Stairfoot would be one possible location, given the concentration of retail uses which have developed over the last few years.

6.34 Whilst we do not believe that it is necessary to make allocations for bulky goods retailing, it is possible that applicants may be able to demonstrate a need for additional retail floorspace for this use during the Plan period. It would still be necessary for any applicant to demonstrate a sequential approach to site selection, in the context of a class of goods approach and that the proposal would not seriously affect the vitality and viability of the town or other centres. We therefore recommend that applications for bulky goods retailing should be treated on their merits at the time, but will be expected not to create new retail locations.

6.35 It must be emphasised that the estimates of floorspace needs are inevitably uncertain and aim to give only a broad guide to the level of floorspace that could be supported. This is especially true of the at the end of the plan (after 2011) and we recommend that within the master planning exercise and any local plan replacement, rather than making provision to cater for need up to 2016, the situation is reviewed later in this decade to assess the retail provision needed for the latter part of the forecast period.

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7 Recommendations in respect of planning policy and future retail and leisure development

Barnsley Planning Policy 7.1 The adopted UDP policies were prepared at the time that the current Government planning policy

guidance was emerging and being clarified. The UDP/LDF is now under review and a key issues document has been published. This identified the Questions as

• Is there adequate provision of shops in the Borough? • What type of shops are required (if any)? And • Where should they be located?

7.2 Our quantitative analysis has concluded:-

Convenience Floorspace – Once present commitments are implemented there will be a small amount of unaccomodated expenditure at the end of the local plan period. This does not give rise to a need for further planned provision. Rather, it allows scope for modest scale provision in more local centres; Bulky Goods Comparison Floorspace – The bulk of additional bulky goods floorspace needs for the plan period will be met by the B and Q opening at Stairfoot. There may be some further need towards the end of the plan period but this should be considered in any later review of the Plan. Town Centre Comparison Goods Floorspace - there is a need for a substantial increase in floorpace in the town centre even to maintain Barnsley’s existing market share of about 40%. One should not be too precise about the amount of floorspace, because it would depend for instance on who the occupiers are how the floorspace is provided and used, but it would represent a major redevelopment opportunity in the town centre. The study has also established that there would be retailer interest to support such a development. Adopted Part 1 Policies

7.3 Existing shopping policy S1 states that all new retail development will be permitted only within the central shopping area of Barnsley town centre and in the principle shopping and commercial centres defined on the proposals map. Within these locations such proposals will be assessed having regard to their relationship with and compatibility with the existing retail uses.

7.4 Policy S2 states that the Council will seek improvements to the general environment, traffic management, highway and pedestrian and public transport facilities. We agree that the environment of the Central Shopping Area has a significant negative impact on perceptions of Barnsley Town Centre and has to be tackled if the objectives for the centre are to be achieved. The environmental quality of other centres in the Borough also needs addressing and we recommend the policy is retained and reinforced in the UDP Review.

7.5 Retail development outside of these areas is controlled by Policy S3, which implements the sequential test and policy S4, which is a criteria based policy setting out the key tests which are

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recommended in PPG6 Section 4. These policies do not however, fully reflect the Parliamentary statements of 11th Feb 1999 or 10th April 2003 with regard to the demonstration the need. We recommend these two policies should be reviewed to incorporate the requirement to demonstrate the need for the proposed development.

7.6 Further guidance could also be given in our view to the approach that Council will adopt to assessing the suitability of sites. It should be made clear that the Council will not accept a format driven approach to site identification where sites are assessed according to the format of the development sought, but will require applicants to demonstrate that the goods cannot be sold from town centre locations. This would best be done in the explanatory text.

7.7 Policy S5 states that all large retail units which are permitted outside of the Barnsley Town Centre Central Shopping Area and principal shopping centres will be subject to planning conditions which will control the range and types of goods sold from them and the size of the unit. We recommend that the policy be amended to clarify that retail developments for the sale of bulky goods should also comply with policies S1, S3 and S4. This would make it absolutely clear that any such proposals are expected to comply with the sequential approach, the demonstration of need and the tests for new retail development set out in the policies and section 4 of PPG6.

7.8 Policy S6 permits local shopping facilities serving day to day needs of an immediate locality subject to scale, traffic and environmental considerations. In our view this policy could provide the flexibility to accommodate the additional convenience floorspace which we have identified towards the end of the plan period and in the smaller centres in the Borough. Such development is the only form of retail investment which these centres are likely to attract and may well provide an opportunity to strengthen the centres. We would not wish to see such development prevented by a borough-wide capacity assessment.

7.9 We therefore recommend that the policy should be amended to clarify that proposals are expected to comply also with policies S1, S3 and S4. This would allow scope for applications to be judged according to the need and site opportunities in the more local area.

7.10 However, in our view the policy is insufficiently precise and it could be argued that any foodstore of any size met the day to day needs of an immediate locality. This problem would to a considerable extent be met by the amendment suggested above. However, we suggest that it is also clarified in explanatory text that although the appropriate size will vary from place to place, it is seldom likely to exceed 1,000m².

7.11 Policy S7 refers to hot food take-away shops and sets out the development control considerations. We will refer to A3 uses in Barnsley town centre in due course but we do not believe that there is a conflict between this policy and our recommendations for leisure uses in the town centre. Policies 8 and 9 refer to specific quasi-retail uses and are not relevant to our analysis.

7.12 Overall we conclude that the Part 1 policies are in accordance with the appropriate planning policy guidance, but that minor amendments are recommended to reflect the later clarifications to PPG6 or to clarify the relationship between policies.

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Town Centre 7.13 The policies for Barnsley town centre cover a wide range of topics, some of which touch only

slightly on issues raised in this report. We comment n the Centre policies primarily as they effect our recommended proposals but first comment on a couple of general matters. The Fringe Areas

7.14 The Plan defines the town centre widely and within that defines a Central Shopping Area. Retail development should be restricted to this Central Shopping Area, two sites allocated under TC 58 and two fringe areas. We have no doubt that this approach will, in principle, further the Government and Local Planning Authorities objectives to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of the town centre and focus retail development there. Under policy TC4 planning permission will be granted for shopping development in the two fringe areas provided it is of appropriate scale (and satisfactory design). We consider that the plan does not define what an appropriate scale would be in sufficient detail. Given the size of the areas they would have the potential to undermine the objectives for the Central Shopping Area if redeveloped on a large scale. The value of these areas is recognised and policies preventing all retail development would be undesirable. We advise that it should be made clear that an ”appropriate scale” is one that is in keeping with the prevailing size of existing retail units in these areas. Yorkshire Electricity Site

7.15 Two sites outside the Central Shopping Area are allocated for retail development under policy TC58. The Castlereagh St/ Foundry St site is currently being developed as a foodstore. The other, the Yorkshire Electricity site is still undeveloped. It is some 350m from the nearest primary retail frontage and cut off by the railway, station and non-interactive frontages to function as part of the Central Shopping Area. In our view it is too remote from the town centre to be suitable for retail use and its development for this would tend to undermine proposals in the town centre. Although it could have been considered for bulky goods retailing, we have not identified any need for further floorspace for this type of goods. We recommend the proposal for retail development on this site is deleted from the plan.

7.16 The UDP proposes specific single uses for the sites identified in policy TC58. This appears to be inconsistent with the emphasis that is now put on high density, mixed-use schemes and the lack of flexibility is unlikely to maximise the possibility of attracting investment. We therefore recommend that in the review a greater range of preferred and acceptable uses are sought for these sites. The Peel Centre

7.17 The Peel Centre is an established retail park, the owners of which have for some years been considering improving and expanding. It is understood that contracts have now been exchanged with both Curry’s and JJB Sports for new space at the centre and that negotiations are at a very advanced stage with a further three bulky goods retailers who are expected to take over existing space, once it has been remodelled. Once these developments are completed, there will be no further space available at the Peel Centre, apart from a small site fronting Harborough Hill to which the owners are understood to be trying to attract a fast food operator.

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Wombwell Lane, Stairfoot

7.18 Given the concentration of existing retail uses, particularly taking into account the Tesco foodstore and the new B&Q, Stairfoot is one of Barnsley’s major retail destinations outside the town centre. We understand that there is considerable interest in expanding the amount of bulky goods floorspace in this location.

7.19 As stated in section 6, whilst we do not believe that it is necessary at the moment to make allocations for bulky goods retailing, it is possible that applicants may be able to demonstrate a need for additional retail floorspace for this use during the Plan period. It would still be necessary for any applicant to demonstrate a sequential approach to site selection, in the context of a class of goods approach and that the proposal would not seriously affect the vitality and viability of the town or other centres. However, should this occur, there would be advantages in seeking to concentrate further provision at existing retail locations, to maximise the potential for the use of public transport and to avoid cross town journeys by car to compare retail offers. Stairfoot would be one possible location, given the large number of shoppers already attracted to its retail offer.

7.20 Should the Council decide to allocate land for retail development in this location, we would recommend that any allocation is covered not only by policies S1, S3, S4 and S5, but also by a policy requiring that any proposal must ensure good linkages with nearby sites to promote access by public transport. Provision for Major Retail-led Development

7.21 Our key conclusion is that there is sufficient expenditure in the catchment area that is likely to be attracted to the town centre and sufficient retailer interest to support a major retail development in the town centre. If this is to succeed and maximise the regenerative benefits, this has to be in the heart of the primary shopping area and address the environmental quality of the existing area. It will also have to have the appropriate commercial critical mass. Site assembly will be important and, based on experience elsewhere, any such scheme is very likely to require the use of compulsory purchase powers under section 226 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 or Section 20 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998.

7.22 Barnsley has been presented with an ideal opportunity to bring about a major transformation of its retail offer with the purchase of the Metropolitan Centre by Yorkshire Forward, with a view to its redevelopment. The nature of that redevelopment must be handled very carefully as it will clearly not be viable to aim for a single-phase demolition, followed by a new construction. The costs involved in gaining vacant possession could amount to several million pounds and without ensuring continuity of trade for those tenants who are important to retain in the town, it is quite possible many of them could be lost to Barnsley indefinitely. It will therefore be necessary to ensure a phased redevelopment and involve existing occupiers from the outset, facilitating temporary relocations where necessary.

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7.23 Such a development would, in our view, comply with the relevant policies of the adopted UDP and this would be sufficient to support CPO powers. However, such a proposal is not specifically identified in the UDP and the preparation of Supplementary Planning Guidance would clarify the Council’s and Yorkshire Forward’s aspirations in this respect. We therefore recommend that an area is identified in the primary core for a retail-led mixed-use development and that SPG is prepared for it. We also recommend that the site chosen is for comprehensive redevelopment in the review of the UDP/LDF. However, since such a proposal would comply with the adopted Plan we do not see the need for the preparation of this SPG to await the adoption of the reviewed plan.

7.24 We are confident that, provided proposals hit the retail cycle at the right time, a new centre can be created which will act as a catalyst to future growth. It will be important to secure a large high quality anchor tenant, without whom any large scale shopping development will almost undoubtedly fail. We believe that it may be possible to interest a retailer such as Debenhams in Barnsley, in which case provision within the new development should be made for a department store of some 9,290m² (100,000ft²).

7.25 There are also a number of developers with a good deal of experience in large-scale town centre

retail redevelopment. We would strongly recommend the preparation of a development brief for the new centre, setting out the aims and objectives of the Council and Yorkshire Forward, together with a broad outline of the scale and type of development sought, type/quality of construction, criteria for developer selection etc. Such a brief should not be too prescriptive as it is important to consider the ideas brought forward by those who know what works. The Future of The Market

7.26 It is widely accepted that markets are capable of generating specific benefits for the community. They tend to bring goods close to public transport hubs which is particularly important for older people and those without access to a car. Because of its flexibility and concentration in terms of time and space, a market can bring a variety of products to its customers which cannot be provided on a permanent basis in shops. Markets can encourage competition and provide excellent value for money.

7.27 Markets are also important in terms of employment – both direct and indirect – for the local area and contribute directly to the vitality and viabilty of town centres. Nevertheless, there has been a considerable decline in markets nationally over the last thirty years. It has been reported that there were 788 retail markets in 1971, which had decreased to around 570 by 2001. Contributing factors to this decline have been:

• Declining, inaccessible and dangerous city centres. • Competition from out-of-town shopping centres, with free parking and little or no restriction in

opening hours. • A lack of amenities in markets – cafes, toilets, poor cleansing regime. • Inadequate infrastructure. • Too many market days compared with actual local needs. • Unfair competition from private market-like events.

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• Lack of access to new technology (e.g electronic payment facilities). • Loss of sites to higher value development. • Moving of focus of town centre – following new development.

7.28 In our view, it is of key importance to the future growth and enhancement of Barnsley town centre

that the Market be encouraged and provided in a setting fit for such a facility in the 21st Century. Discussions with the Market manager and consideration of other successful markets in the region have led us to the conclusion that there are a number of elements which should be incorporated into the new design/concept for the markets area.

7.29 The Meat and Fish Market is very much regarded as a jewel in the crown for Barnsley Market and

we believe that it is important that this unique offer is kept as a separate entity within any reprovision of the facility. We also feel that the indoor and semi-indoor markets should be merged into one new indoor market hall, preferably over one level to create a new enhanced and larger indoor area. There is very little difference between the indoor and semi indoor facilities and this would help to further reinforce and strengthen this offer.

7.30 The tenant mix of the new facility will clearly have to be tightly managed to ensure an appropriate balance of traders – a wide range of goods to attract large numbers of the shopping public but not an oversupply in any particular sectors to protect traders from too much competition. It would be desirable to develop clusters where visitors can experience a grouped offer, by locating associated goods together. It will also be important to ensure that rules and regulations are rigorously enforced – for example, in terms of opening times, fascia standards and non-encroachment into aisles. Opportunities should be provided to promote the market by specialist themed events. Such measures rely heavily on traders buying into the aspirations for the improvement of the existing facility, but it could be made clear from the outset that leases will only be granted to those who wish to play their part in achieving a successful, vibrant market which attracts new and old customers with an offer of quality and value.

7.31 Currently, the outdoor market is provided through a fixed stall area in the town centre. This allows no flexibility of space and creates something of an eyesore when not in use. Additionally, the inflexible nature of this space means that this important area of public open space cannot presently be used in any other way when the Market is not trading during the evening or on non-market days.

7.32 Ideally, the outdoor market should be within a definable area, but with demountable stalls provided in a location which will compliment the indoor market offer. This will allow the market space to be utilised for public and other open air uses and attractions on non-market days and evenings.

7.33 Markets by their very nature require a large amount of passing trade and the siting of the replacement space needs to be carefully planned to allow the maximum number of pedestrians walking through the site. It should also play an active part of the ongoing role of the town centre to allow it to continue successfully to compliment the existing and proposed future of Barnsley.

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A3 Uses

7.34 Finally we have identified the desirability of broadening the leisure base. The opportunities for doing this in many fields of leisure is limited but the dissatisfaction with choice of places to eat and drink out was identified in the street survey. The mix and quality of eating and drinking out is important in attracting leisure shoppers and is likely to become more so as this type of shopping becomes more predominant. Good restaurants are difficult for a Council to encourage, but since there is some advantage in leisure facilities being clustered we recommend that the Council should consider identifying a “cultural quarter” in the town centre where such uses will be encouraged. We have examined policies TC5 and TC6 with regard to A3 uses. We consider that the policy of allowing only 10% of units in primary frontages to be A3 use and 10% in A2 use stricter than is normally found. Both uses are important to the functioning of town centres and do attract footfall. Although the area to which policy TC5 applies is limited, it is recommend that this policy is reviewed in the light of an objective of encouraging a broader evening economy and greater diversity of use. In the centre.

7.35 The leisure facility that town centre users most wanted to see in Barnsley was a new multiplex cinema and there are proposals in the Masterplan for such a development. Evidence indicates that those currently going outside Barnsley for cinema visits could be attracted to a local facility if this matched the quality of the competition in Sheffield and Wakefield.

8 Conclusions

8.1 The surveys and analysis carried out for the purposes of this study have led us to the following conclusions:

• The health of Barnsley town centre is somewhat better than its image portrays but large-scale

investment is now necessary to bring about improvements and to prevent future decline;

• There is currently a need for additional convenience goods floorspace in the Borough which will be met largely by the new Morrisons store now under construction and the Tesco extension (if granted consent);

• New convenience goods outlets may have a particular role to play in sustaining the many smaller centres in the Borough, in reducing the need for travel and improving the choice of goods on offer to those who do not have, or who do not choose to have, access to a car. Applications in these smaller centres should therefore be treated on their merits, but should be appropriate in size to the function, scale and character of the centre;

• There is an urgent need for a substantial increase in comparison goods floorspace in the town centre even to maintain Barnsley’s existing market share;

• The increase in provision should be in the form of a major retail-led mixed use development anchored by a substantial traditional department store;

• Supplementary Planning Guidance should be prepared to clarify the aspirations of the Council and Yorkshire Forward and to define the area covered by, and style of, the new development;

• A development brief should be prepared alongside the SPG to attract the developer market;

• The successful future of the Markets should be secured by redevelopment and redesign;

• Whilst specific applications for new bulky goods floorspace may be acceptable on their merits, there is no need to provide for further space within the UDP/LDF review;

• The indoor leisure facility most needed in Barnsley is a new multiplex cinema, able to match the quality of the competition in Sheffield and Wakefield;

• Consideration should be given to the establishment of a cultural quarter where high quality café/bistro/bar/restaurant uses will be encouraged to create the right environment for leisure shopping and to improve the quality and diversity of the evening economy;

• There is little evidence of undercapacity, or lack of quality, of indoor leisure provision in other sub-markets;

• Part 1 Retail Policies in the adopted UDP are in accordance with planning policy guidance, but for the purposes of the UDP/LDF Review, minor amendments should be made to reflect clarifications to PPG6, to clarify the relationship between various policies and to strengthen policies necessary to protect the vitality and viability of the Borough’s centres.

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