Part One: Spatial Strategy and Policies (Regulation 19)

10.1. The purpose of the centres policies is to help secure the investment, jobs and regeneration needed to create a mature, well-balanced, and functioning network of centres, where residents shop, work, live and spend their leisure time. Concentrating development in centres that are highly accessible by sustainable transport contributes towards planning priorities such as health and wellbeing and addressing climate change. Delivering a vital and viable network of centres will significantly contribute towards meeting the current and future needs of Dudley residents.

10.2. Dudley's centres are re-purposing and as such are subject to changes in many different ways such as the shift in focus from retail to include leisure, commercial, residential, community and health services, local facilities and civic uses. It is a priority to maintain and enhance them appropriate to their scale, role and function in order to underpin the vital role they play in contributing to the economic growth, character and identity of Dudley.

10.3. Table 10.1 sets out the hierarchy of centres for Dudley Borough. Investment in retail and town centre uses that are of an appropriate scale to meet the centres position in the hierarchy will be supported along with the enhancement of the existing provision to facilitate sustainable development. A hierarchy of centres for Dudley which consists of four levels has been identified:

10.4. Within the borough, Brierley Hill is the strategic centre and as such is the focus for growth as well as a primary location for retail, leisure, and cultural facilities. The three town centres of Dudley, Halesowen and Stourbridge will complement Brierley Hill, as well as meeting the day-to-day needs of the local communities including retail, leisure, and community activities. Developments in Brierley Hill, Dudley, Halesowen and Stourbridge will be subject to the additional policies set out in Part Two –Centres and Site Allocations.

10.5. The district and local centres range in scale but all provide day-to-day convenience shopping and services to meet local needs and provide important services to the communities they serve; therefore, it is important to retain the viability and vitality of these centres.

10.6. There are three district centres which provide a reasonable range and choice of goods and services. They all benefit from good public transport links, car parking provision and a strong walk-in catchment area. They provide a focus for community facilities and are traditionally a main shopping destination. It is important that these centres retain or improve their existing level and quality of convenience retail as well as other shops to sustain and enhance their viability.

10.7. There are 15 local centres in the borough which generally have a small-scale supermarket and a range of convenience-based shops. It will remain important to provide sufficient and attractive well located car parking and access to public transport to underpin the relative competitiveness of each centre both in terms of attracting investment and meeting the public's needs.

10.8. Within the borough there are also a significant number of small-scale local shops, located individually or in small parades of shops. Such provision complements the retail hierarchy by; providing residents with access to local shops and services to meet essential day-to-day needs; as well as being located within walking distance of the residential communities they serve. On this basis such provision, wherever possible, should be protected.

10.9. Centres are best placed to sustainably serve their communities' needs as places to shop, work, study, spend leisure time and live. Centres therefore need to offer the best accessibility to a range of services for residents, workers, and visitors, particularly by sustainable transport methods. The concentration of investment within centres is the basis to achieve transformation and economic growth, to make the fullest possible use of existing and future infrastructure and to deliver sustainable regeneration. Centres make a crucial contribution to sustainability through helping to tackle climate change, by reducing the need to travel, and promoting healthy, child friendly communities, with well-designed public realm and green infrastructure provision.

10.10. The boundaries for the Town centres are set out in Figure 10.1, and boundaries for the Tier 1 and 2 Town centre boundaries and Town Centre Core areas are set out in the relevant centres chapter in Part Two.

10.11. Challenges facing the High Street include, changing shopping patterns (including the rise in online shopping) and the closure of anchor stores impacting upon centres' viability and vitality, as evidenced by high vacancy rates. In addition, changing working patterns, including the increased move towards home working, has left uncertainty about the future of centres-based office activity. The increased move towards centre living provides the opportunity for new residential developments to significantly contribute towards the regeneration of the borough's centres, as part of mixed-use developments and upper floor living, as well utilising redundant and vacant in-centre sites. Therefore, future growth and investment within centres may not necessarily be led by the traditional retail sector.

10.12. Future investment will focus on qualitative improvements and more flexibility to protect centres, rather than the need to provide additional floorspace. This is likely to be market-led and will facilitate reoccupation, reconfiguration and repurposing of existing buildings, particularly vacant floorspace. This approach will seek to ensure that centres are well balanced, with a mix of uses performing a variety of functions. Maximum opportunity should be made of structural changes to centres, such as floorspace changing to other uses (particularly residential), and an increased focus for centres to:

10.13. It is likely that following the introduction of the Class E use class, it will broaden the range of uses that we see in the traditional shopping centres and high streets. The flexibility will help centres respond to and adapt to changing circumstances, however where appropriate planning conditions may be used to restrict specific uses.