Xavier, J; (2008) Retail competition and the planning system: Exploration of the planning system and its role in promoting and enhancing retail diversity in town centres - a case study on Dalston. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Since the 1990's, the UK's retail landscape has seen a drastic decline in independently- owned shops while multiple retailers increasingly dominate. This paper adds to the debate on the contributions to diversity and consumer choice made by independent shops and goes further to examine the role played by national retail planning guidance (PPS6 - planning for town centres), in contributing to their decline in the town centre environment. A case study approach on Dalston, an East London town centre undergoing early stage regeneration is used to holistically examine the importance of the independent shop to different stakeholders and assess how PPS6 is being applied by the Local Authority. To rationalize the processes and highlight the main issues fuelling this debate, current regeneration proposals for the area were analysed interviews with independent retailers and 55 consumers were undertaken and secondary data from reports was examined. The research shows that in regenerating the shopping area, independent retailers were lost and no consideration was made for their relocation or protection. The study further reveals that consumers in the area highly value independent shops in Dalston, particularly for their low-value and specialist ethnic provision. These reflect the socio-economic makeup of Dalston's catchment and to contribute to consumers' perception of the unique identity and character of this town centre. Consumers, though not opposed to the need for the area's regeneration, felt that it was important for the retail landscape to have a mixed provision of independent and multiple retailers. As a discipline, planning seeks to balance economic, social and environmental concerns in order to encourage sustainable development. The approach used to guide the council's assessment of the retail proposals, guided by PPS6, undervalued the social contribution made by independent shops, to the vitality and viability of the town centre. The paper concludes that, left unchecked, the current planning framework encourages the creation of monopolistic "clone towns", and in so doing, contradicts one of its main objectives - to create and maintain sustainable, diverse communities.

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