A case study in Shoreditch and Dalston of London Borough of Hackney - 1100 Words

A case study in Shoreditch and Dalston of London Borough of Hackney (Essay Sample) Content: Dissertation DraftThe effectsof Retail-led Regeneration on the perceptions of independent businessestoward the developments inthe town centres.A case study in Shoreditch and Dalston of London Borough of Hackney.1 Introduction1.1 Retail-led regeneration in the UKand LondonRetail is the third largest service sector in the UK, providing around 13 million full-time jobs. Being a key employment creator, retail is increasingly accepted as a regeneration tool in deprived areas. Therefore, retail-led regeneration is seen as an important mechanism to boost local economy and enhance the attractiveness of a place to draw more visitors, consumers and investments into the area. (DTZ Consulting, 2014)However, due to the change of shopping mode nowadays, the retail industries in the UK are now encountering challenges of out-of-town shopping centres and online retailing.(Gov.uk, 2012) To tackle this issue, the existing town centres become main actors for sustainable development of th e UKà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s retail industries. Therefore the need to maintain an efficient, competitive and innovative retail sector in high streets or town centre is emphasised. (ODPM, 2005)In national policy guides, such as PPS 6, provide principles for the regenerations and developments in existing town centres for theirvitality and viability. (ODPM, 2005) They are identified not only the places for retail but the centres bustling with social networks and working opportunities. Therefore, ensuring the prosperity of London high street and town centres is also one of GLAà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬sobjectives to improve the lives and the economy in London. (Greater London Authority, 2014)In PPG13 promotes more sustainabletransport choices for people and for freightand seeks to ensure that jobs, shops,education, health, and leisure facilities areaccessible by public transport, walking,and cycling. PPG13 encourages areduction in the need to travel, especiallyby car with a focus of major generators oftravel dema nd in town centres or near tomajor public transport interchanges. Theguidance gives priority to pedestrians overease of traffic movement and plan toprovide more road space to pedestrians,cyclists and public transport in towncentres and local neighbourhoods.The London Plan, in accord with national guidance, seeks to promote wider functions oftown centres and increase the numbers of trips to the areas with better accesses.In terms of retail and town centres, the London Plan advocates the provision of adequate local facilities and amenities in town centres, and prioritises urban vitalityand viability.The London Plan identifies the Hackney centre of Dalston as a largetown Centre and Shoreditch High Street area as main shopping centre within the East London Sub Region. (London Borough of Hackney, 2005)By increasing retail provision in underserved areas, retail provides wider choices of retail facilities. Nonetheless, regarding identifying and selecting particular form of provisions, the question of who has the power and resources to decide the vision and who has the opportunities to be involved in it are important to the policy makers and local retailers.Essentially, the regeneration is a geographical visualisations of planning policies and political power. In the cases of retail-led regeneration, the role of independent businesses in contributing to urban and local economy could be relatively ambiguous compared with high-profile investors and creative-sector firms. Therefore, the independentbusinessescould easilybe outside of the view of the mainstream population and policy-makers. (Raco, 2010)To be specific, the independentbusinesses would have difficulties in making their social value more visible, in the sense of creating a marketable image of a place. Hence, in the process of regeneration, independent businesses are less likely to shape the content of the projects, or to defend their benefits for themselves. (Raco, 2010)1.2 Retail-led regeneration and town cen ter scheme in HackneyHackney Borough (Hackney, 2014) have considered themselves a centre for major regeneration as well. They focus on the significant growth of population and development in the borough during the coming years. According to Andrew Sissons à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ the head of regeneration sector in LB Hackney, the approach of regeneration has moved to town centres and the ways to attract inward investment. The businesses are provided with more support from the borough and the investment in their own town centres. (Futureoflondon.org.uk, 2014)In policy background, All London councils initiated their own Local Development Frameworks (LDF) scheme in 2004. The LDFs are prepared by each of councils with general conformity with the London Plan. (London.gov.uk, n.d.)In LB Hackney, the LDF comprises Local Plans (LPs) and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). The spatial strategy for town centrein Dalston can be found in Hackneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s LDF for Dalston Area Action Plan (AAP). The p lanning for South Shoreditch can also be referenced in Hackneyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s LDF for South Shoreditch, namely South Shoreditch SPD.The Dalston AAP Area comprises of approximately 20 hectares and encompassescertain retailareas of the town centre, including Ridley Road Market, Kingsland High Street, Kingsland Shopping Centre, Dalston Kingsland Station and Dalston Junction.South Shoreditch is located in thesouthernmost portion of the LB Hackney. Whilst vitality and viability are central to a town centre-led approach in Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS6), the South Shoreditch especially Shoreditch High Street can still consider this policy framework for equivalent context of areaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s preponderance. (LB Hackney, 2006)In Conclusion, the local government of Hackney strive for a sustainable patterns of growth and development in the borough. With strategic guidelines from national policy frameworks such as PPS6 and London Plan, they seeks to facilitate a better and competitive business environment for the inward investment and local communities. Additionally, they expect higher retail, leisure and recreation activities to be performed in the existing tow centres through a series of regeneration projects.1.3Briefly ConclusionIn this sense, discovering the perceptions and impacts of those independent businesses regarding the regenerations in town centres is the major aim in this article. The perceptions of the independent businesses will be compared between Shoreditch and Dalton, since the former is identified a regenerated place while Dalston is going to experience a re-development in its town centre in 2014.In addition, this article is also going to explore the interactions between the independent businesses and the plannersof the council, to discuss the limitations and suggestions ofplanning under the scheme of retail-led regenerations and town centre developments. (LB Hackney, 2013)2 Literature reviewRetail-led regeneration of urban areas has been acknowledged as a commendable way for strengthening the economy of a region. In this case, the impacts of retail-led generation on the perception of independent businesses will be explored. In order to establish a foundation for this research, this literature review will place its focus on: the link between urban regeneration and retail development, the regeneration of Hackney, and a summary of the points arising from the literature review.2.1 Urban Regeneration and Retail DevelopmentCarpenter(2011) emphasizes on the essential nature of urban regeneration in UK from the economic standpoint. According to the author, urban regeneration and retail development go hand in hand as the development in one results in the development of the other. The enhancement of both the factors is essential for creation of employment opportunities and stabilization of economy in the region. This argument is also presented by Tallon (2013) who links urban regeneration with short term and long term economic development . Tallon (2013) also raises the issue of transport as a major hurdle in the way of successful urban regeneration and retail development.Berry et al. (2013) discuss the link between urban regeneration and retail development at length specifying that "a regeneration activity based on retail development has a high profile" (p. 180). According to the authors, east Europeans visiting west are prepared to pay higher prices for high brand value, packaging, and other cache. This indicates high purchasing drive of a large proportion of the population and directs towards high potential in the retail development. In other words, this phenomenon can be termed as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"brand retailà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ and it is evident from the arguments made by Berry et al. (2013) that brand retail can act as a potential tool for urban regeneration and retail development. By introducing shopping centers featuring outlets from high value brands, economic activity in a region can be accelerated significantly. One argument that is common between Berry et al. (2013) and Tallon (2013) is the argument regarding role of availability of public transport for successful urban regeneration and retail development. In order to ensure successful development of urban areas, it is essential to develop the nodal points of public transport.While Berry et al. (2013) discusses the role of brand retail for urban regeneration and retail development, Montgomery(2003) discusses the role of culture quarters as mechanisms for urban development. According to the author, culture quarters have emerged as a widely accepted strategy for integrating cultural and economic development in a region. In a culture quarter, places and activities are introduced which on one hand keep the history and culture of the region alive while on the other hand attract consumers and give the retail culture a much needed push. For example, culture quarters may include museum...