Lancaster District Retail & Commercial Leisure Study Project Brief

The Council's requirements around future retail and commercial leisure needs sit clearly within the requirements of national planning policy, specifically paragraph 90 of the 2023 National Planning Policy Framework which states that planning policies should:

'Allocate a range of suitable sites in town centres to meet the scale and type of development likely to be needed, looking at least 10 years ahead. Meeting the needs for retail, leisure, office and other town centre uses over this period should not be compromised by limited site availability, so town centre boundaries should be kept under review where necessary.'

It is in this context, as the City Council look to undertake a full review of the Local Plan for the district, that the need for a Retail and Commercial Leisure Study is required.