Progress in retail led regeneration: Implications for decision-makers

Abstract

Paul Instone is a senior planning consultant at Scott Wilson and a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He specialises in retail and employment issues and provides technical expertise to both public clients and private sector operators. Glyn Roberts has recently become Development Director with the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership. Prior to this he was Technical Director (Planning and Regeneration) with major planning consultancy Scott Wilson, managing planning teams whose specialisms include retail research, regeneration, masterplanning/urban design, sustainability, development plans and planning applications/appeals. Abstract This paper provides a qualitative assessment of retailing trends since World War II and describes how the location and characteristics of retail provision have created disadvantages for certain sections of society. The paper examines the polarisation of retail provision and assesses the implications of declining local centre shopping facilities for certain sections of the community. The paper provides a critique of recent ' retail-led regeneration ' schemes, and assesses whether these schemes exacerbate the problems of weak local markets. In turn, the research examines whether these schemes are the most appropriate mechanism to meet the wider economic, social, physical and environmental regeneration challenges raised by service defi ciencies within these communities.