birmingham retail needs assessment …...birmingham retail needs assessment volume 3 – full health...

Birmingham RETAIL NEEDS ASSESSMENT VOLUME 3 - FULL HEALTH CHECK REPORT

Final

October 2009

ROGER TYM & PARTNERS 61 Oxford Street Manchester M1 6EQ t 0161 245 8900 f 0161 245 8901 e [email protected] w www.tymconsult.com

CONTENTS

1 PERFORMANCE ANALYSES – PPS6 INDICATORS ................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 The PPS6 Indicators ....................................................................................................... 1 BME Retailing ................................................................................................................. 6 Performance Analyses .................................................................................................... 7 Performance Analyses – Smaller District Centres ......................................................... 38

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS TABLES APPENDIX 2 DIVERSITY OF USES TABLES APPENDIX 3 GOAD LAND USE PLANS APPENDIX 4 CENTRE MAPS

Birmingham Retail Needs Assessment Volume 3 – Full Health Check Report

Roger Tym & Partners M9296, October 2009 1

1 PERFORMANCE ANALYSES – PPS6 INDICATORS

Introduction 1.1 We have undertaken a ‘performance analysis’ (commonly referred to as a ‘health

check’) of Birmingham City Centre, the Sub-regional centre of Sutton Coldfield and the 17 District Centres1 within the Birmingham City Council boundary, as defined in the Birmingham Local Centres Strategy 2006. Using the indicators of vitality and viability listed in the bullets following paragraph 4.4 of PPS6, and wherever possible, we have analysed each centre’s performance using time-series data, which is more useful than simply presenting current data. The exercise serves two purposes: it informs the assessment of ‘need’ in the retail sector, as detailed in Section 5 of our main report; and it will provide the base position for future monitoring of town centre vitality and viability.

The PPS6 Indicators 1.2 PPS6 makes it clear that LPAs should plan positively for the growth and

development of town centres, making provision for the full range of town centre uses. Accordingly, the indicators listed under paragraph 4.4 of PPS6 cover other uses as well as retail.

1.3 Below, we provide a brief overview of each of the PPS6 indicators – as well as an additional indicator not listed in PPS6, namely movement in the national retail rankings – together with details of the data sources that we used. All data referred to are contained in Appendices 1 to 4 of this Volume. Due to a lack of published data for some of the smaller district centres, it has not been possible in every case to provide a detailed analysis based on all of the indicators. Where this applies, we have instead provided a succinct overview of performance and general health based on our on-foot surveys and using any data that are available.

Movement in the National Retail Rankings

1.4 We have charted the movement in the national (UK) retail rankings experienced by the Birmingham study centres, as shown in Table 1 of Appendix 1, using time-series data from Management Horizons Europe’s (MHE) UK Shopping Index (for the years 2000/01, 2003/04, and 2008).

1.5 The 2008 version of the MHE Index is based on a weighted count of retailer presence by location, which considers anchor stores, speciality stores, service operators, supermarkets, out-of-town formats and factory outlets. Anchor stores, such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams, are given a higher score than other multiple operators in order to reflect their major influence on non-food shopping patterns. Thus, for example, the presence of a Debenhams store would provide a centre with 10 points and a Primark store is worth 7 points.

1.6 The MHE 2008 Index also for the first time scores restaurants, coffee shops and high street food outlets (for example, McDonalds, Starbucks and Greggs). As a result of this change to the scoring, it is not appropriate to compare a centre's absolute score in MHE’s 2008 Index with those in previous Indexes. However, the relative rankings can generally still be usefully compared.

1Acocks Green, Edgbaston, Erdington, Harborne, King’s Heath, Mere Green, New Oscott, Northfield, Perry Barr, Saltley, Selly Oak, Sheldon, Small Heath, Soho Road, Stirchley, Sutton Coldfield, Swan Yardley, Fox and Goose



1.7 It is also worth noting that whereas MHE’s 2003/04 Index ranked the UK’s top 1,672 retail centres, its 2008 Index now considers some 6,720 centres in the UK. Caution, therefore, needs to be exercised in considering slippage in the retail rankings of low-ranked centres (particularly local centres) between 2003/04 and 2008, which might in part be due to the greater number of centres included in the different Indexes, rather than a particular deterioration of the centres’ retail offer.

1.8 The MHE Index is based on the presence of national multiple outlets, with no credit given for the presence of independent operators. This, analysis of a centre’s movement in the national retail rankings can be a rather blunt tool, and so other indicators – which consider the presence and quality of independent operators – are also of utility in the case of centres which contain few multiple outlets.

Diversity of Main Town Centre Uses (by Number, Type and Amount of Floorspace)

1.9 PPS6 advises that LPAs should monitor the amount of space in use for different functions, such as offices; shopping; leisure, cultural and entertainment activities; pubs, cafés and restaurants; and hotels.

1.10 The standard source of data on the diversity of retail uses in larger town centres is Experian's Goad Centre Reports; however within our study area these are only available for Birmingham City Centre and Sutton Coldfield. For the remaining study centres, we therefore undertook our own on-foot land use audits in November 2008 to identify the diversity of retail uses. The data in relation to diversity of retail uses for the study centres are provided as Tables 6 to 24 of Appendix 3

1.11 For Birmingham and the other study centres, data on a wider range of town centre uses are available from the DCLG’s ‘State of the Cities Database’ (SOCD). The SOCD contains data on key indicators of ‘urban performance’ used in the State of the English Cities Report, published in March 2006 by the ODPM2.

1.12 The SOCD enables comparisons with up to nine centres. To assess the diversity of uses in Birmingham City Centre, the comparator centres that we chose were; Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Nottingham. Similarly, for Sutton Coldfield, the comparator centres we chose were; Brierley Hill, Coventry, Nuneaton, Redditch, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton. All of these centres are ranked within the top 200 centres in the UK by MHE. For each of these centres, the SOCD specifies the amount of floorspace in the ‘A1 shops’, ‘A2 (financial and professional services)’ and ‘A3 (food and drink’)3; It should be noted that the latest available data in the SOCD are for the year 2004. However, unless there has been a substantial amount of recent development in a particular centre, the data from the SOCD will provide a reasonably good indication of the diversity of uses that are present in a given centre.

Amount of Retail, Leisure and Office Floorspace in Edge-of-Centre and Out-of-Centre Locations

1.13 Without detailed survey work, it would be difficult to identify the amount of existing retail floorspace in edge- and out-of-centre locations across the Birmingham City Council boundary. Thus, for a strategic study of this nature, it will only be possible

2 The data are provided for ‘Areas of Town Centre Activity’ (ATCA); further details on the ATCA can be found here: http://www.socd.communities.gov.uk/SOCD/overview.aspx#Geog (note that the ATCA boundaries do not correspond to policy boundaries as defined in local development plans). 3 The SOCD does not reflect the changes to the Use Classes Order which came into effect in April 2005, when Class A3 of the 1987 Use Classes Order, which covered restaurants, public houses, cafés, bars and takeaways, was sub-divided into three separate Classes (A3, A4 and A5). Under the 2005 reforms, only restaurants and cafés retained their A3 classification; pubs and bars were reclassified under the new Use Class A4; and takeaways were reclassified under the new Use Class A5.



to identify the proportion of development that has been taking place within town centres.

1.14 Table 3.4b (i) of the Council’s latest Annual Monitoring Report (December,2008) shows that, since 1991, two thirds (65%) of the retail floorspace developed in Birmingham has been within existing centres or in edge-of-centre locations. A significant amount of development has also taken place within the city centre itself. In total, 12,363 sq.m of new retail floorspace was completed within Birmingham in the period 1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008. Of this total, 2,835 sq.m was built in centre and edge of centre locations. This demonstrates a significant reduction from previous years. Indeed, most retail completions during 2007/2008 were relatively small developments including supermarkets and mixed use developments. However in future years it is expected that this figure will rise again due to the significant amount of retail floorspace in the pipeline. These include city centre developments such as The Cube and Martineau Galleries.

1.15 In previous years, a significant amount of new retail floorspace has been directed in the City Centre. For example in 2003/04, the new Bullring development alone accounted for over 100,000 sq.m of new retail floorspace. Other centres that have attracted notable retail development since figures were published in 1991 include; Sutton Coldfield, New Oscott, Small Heath, Acocks Green and Harborne.

1.16 The data on the proportion of retail completions located in town centres in the Annual Monitoring Report do not go down to the specific town centre level, and so we do not cover this indicator in our performance analyses. Nevertheless, it will be important for the Council to continue to embrace the strong ‘town centres first’ message of PPS6 when considering the most appropriate locations for retail and leisure development.

1.17 RPG11: Regional Planning Guidance for the West Midlands is to provide a Spatial Strategy to guide the preparation of local authority development plans so that they can deliver a coherent framework for Regional development. Policy PA11 of the spatial strategy outlines a network of strategic town and city centres. Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield are identified as two of these strategic centres, the implication of which is that they will be the focus of major retail developments (i.e. those of more than 10,000 sq.m gross floorspace, excluding floorspace dedicated to the retailing of convenience goods).

The Potential Capacity for Growth or Change of Centres in the Network

1.18 We have undertaken on-foot surveys of each centre to identify physical opportunities for town centre uses. This exercise was supplemented by speaking to stakeholders in the centres where there is likely to be the greatest potential for change.

Retailer Representation and Intentions to Change Representation

1.19 MHE categorises fashion retailers as ‘luxury’, ‘upper’, ‘upper-middle’, ‘middle’, ‘lower-middle’ or ‘value’. In its 2008 Shopping Index, MHE assigns an overall rating for each strategic centre, based on the predominant type of fashion retailer that is currently represented.

1.20 In terms of potential retailer interest, the commercial organisation, FOCUS, collects data on documented retailer requirements (for national multiple operators), and publishes the data twice-yearly. FOCUS also produces Town Reports for main centres, which include time-series data on the number of retail requirements. The centres for which FOCUS produces Town Reports are Birmingham City Centre and Sutton Coldfield.

1.21 We sent a postal questionnaire to 11 prominent convenience retail operators with current published requirements for space in the West Midlands, with a view to establishing the level of their interest in any of the study centres. We also contacted



the agents acting for 32 major comparison retailers which either had requirements posted on the FOCUS database, or which we considered may prospectively have an interest in locating in Birmingham. In addition to contacting operator agents we also held discussions with various local stakeholders to obtain anecdotal evidence of operator demand in the Birmingham study centres.

1.22 Given the significant amount of retail floorspace currently in the development pipeline in Birmingham City Centre, we have undertaken an analysis of existing high profile retailer representation in the region to determine whether this will limit the take-up of space in the city centre. By identifying which operators are already present in the city centre and those which are represented in the nearby centres of Solihull, Merry Hill, Leicester and Wolverhampton, we are able to establish whether this will limit the potential to attract new retailers.

1.23 The findings of this assessment indicate that Birmingham City Centre has the highest levels of representation of high profile retailers (42 out of a total 91). Solihull contained 19 such operators whilst Leicester, Merry Hill and Wolverhampton had 15, 9 and 4 respectively. Thus we consider that there remains a sufficient number of retailers which are not represented in the region to take up the significant amount of space in the development pipeline.

1.24 In relation to levels of operator demand for the study centres, it is important to note two things that the level of demand for any centre is always influenced by whether any new development is proposed; hence if a major new development scheme was to emerge, the number of requirements would be expected to show a noticeable increase.

1.25 Moreover, our discussions with operators reveal two recurring themes with regard to retailer requirements, namely:

that in the context of the current uncertain economic climate, a large number of operators are no longer looking to expand, hence, if there is limited operator interest in any of the study centres, this may not necessarily be symptomatic of the decline of that particular centre, but could in fact be as a result of wider macroeconomic instability; and

the highest demand for space in the study centres is from large supermarket operators, however discussions with these operators has revealed that they all face the same problem with regard to expansion; a lack of suitable and available space.

1.26 From our assessment of retailer requirements, it is apparent that the operators with the highest levels of interest throughout the city region are the large foodstores, in particular W M Morrison and Asda (Table 1.1). Asda in particular state that they are underrepresented in the south of Birmingham where there remains capacity for new entrants such as themselves, whilst W M Morrison has requirements throughout Birmingham. Both operators are actively looking for new sites for stores, however due to a lack of suitable and available land, investment in recent years has been limited to store renewals and refurbishment or extension.



Table 1.1 Retail Requirements for W M Morrison and Asda

Comments Centres Comments

Sutton Coldfield Perry Barr Sutton Coldfield

Acocks Green Saltley Perry Barr

Edgbaston Selly Oak Edgbaston

Erdington Sheldon Saltley

Harborne Soho Road Harborne

Kings Heath Stirchley Stirchley

Mere Green Swan Yardley Mere Green

New Oscott Washwood Heath New OscottNorthfield

Requirement for a foodstore with a minimum floorspace of 25,000 sq.ft and maximum floorspace of 80,000 sq.ft

WM MorrisonCentres

Requirement for a foodstore with a minimum gross floorspace of 30,000 sq.ft and maximum 130,000 sq.ft

Asda

1.27 Given the unstable economic climate at the time of writing and the frequency with which retailers are going into administration, in a small number of cases, the our assessment of the diversity of uses and the vacancy rate of the town centre may have altered slightly to reflect this unexpected change in retailer representation. However, we are aware of only a few such cases and in each of these cases we have included the relevant commentary where necessary.

Shopping Rents and Yields

1.28 Of the Birmingham study centres, published time-series rental data are only available for Birmingham City Centre and Sutton Coldfield. For other study centres, we have therefore had to source information on movements in retail rents from discussions with stakeholders, although this information was provided on an anecdotal basis and is generally not available for the smaller centres. Availability of time-series yield data is also limited, with such data only available for the following centres: Birmingham City Centre, Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Kings Heath, Northfield, Acocks Green and Sheldon. Subsequently, for those centres where time-series data is not available we have drawn on anecdotal evidence from discussions with local stakeholders.

1.29 Analysis of rents and yields provide a valuable indication of the viability of a town centre, however they must be used with care. The increase of new shop property in an expanding town may be considered to limit the opportunity for rental growth. Thus the yield in a fast growing town where new shops keep pace with demand (eg. a New Town) might be higher than a more slowly growing town where development is constrained (eg. an historic town). Similarly, yields may rise in the short term following a major town centre shopping development.

1.30 Factors which affect yield are therefore complex, and need to be interpreted with reference to the circumstances in each individual town. Moreover, the level of yield on its own is of less value than in comparison with other yields at different points in time and in different locations. Yields measured consistently over time can give an indication of the direction in which a particular town centre is moving. Broadly speaking, however, low yields indicate that a town is considered to be attractive and as a result be more likely to attract investment than a town with high yields.

Proportion of Vacant Street Level Property

1.31 The standard source of vacancy data for larger centres is Experian’s GOAD Centre Reports, although in Birmingham these are only available for the City Centre, Sutton Coldfield and Perry Barr. For the remaining study centres we therefore undertook our own land use audit in November 2008.

1.32 When assessing vacancy levels and where the relevant data is available we have endeavored to consider the following:



the proportion of floorspace in addition to the number of vacant units;

what proportion of the vacant units are in the primary shopping area;

whether there are any concentrations of vacancies;

the quality of the vacant floorspace and the scope for redevelopment of the floorspace for non-retail uses;

how vacancy rates in similar centres in the retail hierarchy compare; and

where possible, how long the units have been vacant and the speed of the ‘churn’ of the vacant units.

Pedestrian Flows (Footfall)

1.33 We are not aware of any formal, pedestrian flow surveys across the city in recent years, however when undertaking our own land use audits in November 2008 we were able to get a vague idea of how healthy the centres were in terms of pedestrian flows.

Accessibility

1.34 Accessibility is a key feature of a healthy centre, consequently, if we identified any particular accessibility issues when we undertook our on-foot surveys of the centres, then appropriate commentary is provided in the relevant performance analysis.

Customer and Residents’ Views and Behaviour

1.35 A survey of pedestrians and/or local residents was not undertaken as part of this study and so we have not collated any survey evidence in relation to attitudes, perceptions, desires and so on. The telephone survey of households does, however, provide evidence of current shopping patterns; the findings from the telephone survey are written up in Section 4 of the main report.

Perception of Safety and Occurrence of Crime

1.36 We undertook a thorough search for crime statistics; however we were unable to find any data at a town centre level. The only general data we have attained is from Table 2.7 of the Council’s Annual Monitoring Report (March 2007); this data indicates that amongst core cities, Birmingham as a whole has the lowest overall crime rate per 1,000 of the population in 2006/07. The data also demonstrates a marked reduction in crime since 2000/01; all crime was 30 per cent lower in 2006/07 than it was in 2000/01.

1.37 Given this lack of data at a local level, and in light of the fact that any perception of safety and crime which we have attained from our centre visits is purely subjective, thus in order to prevent the ‘mislabeling’ of areas we have not included this indicator in our assessment of the seventeen District Centres.

State of the Town Centre Environmental Quality

1.38 Under this indicator we provide an assessment of the physical appearance of the centres, based on our field visits in November 2008.

BME Retailing 1.39 Britain’s Black and Ethnic Minority (BME)4 businesses now form an important part of

Britain’s retail business landscape. Minority enterprises range from the corner shop

4 BME comprises Afro-Caribbean, African, Mixed, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi, Chinese, West Asian and ‘Others’ based on ONS definition, extended using GLA classification (2005)



and take-aways, to established ‘ethnic quarters’, such as Manchester’s ‘Curry Mile’ in Rusholme and Birmingham’s ‘Balti District’.

1.40 In Birmingham, Asian centres provide a retail offer which meets all of the local catchment’s needs in a single destination, and often, given their niche offer, they are able to draw visitors from a much wider catchment than would be expected, and which can extend beyond the Birmingham city region.

1.41 BME retailers are predominantly single unit shops run as family businesses which serve the ethnic population. However, in recent years there has been a trend emerging whereby a number of retailers have begun to open stores in more than one location and whilst Asian retailing is likely to continue to be dominated by the family run business, the next generation is beginning to incorporate the quality of shopping environment associated with the larger national multiples.

1.42 This is critical to the success of such small enterprises, given the challenges that they face in the context of the dynamic changes in the urban and retail landscape over the last 20-30 years, and more recently, in the context of the recession. Indeed, one of the key trends has been the consolidation of market share into a handful of major multiples, particularly in the convenience goods sector. Consequently, the smaller, independent shops are struggling to compete with the critical mass and buying power of the ‘big four’ supermarkets5, and the smaller discount operators such as Aldi and Lidl.

1.43 Nevertheless, whilst the change which is currently taking place in the retail sector is inevitable, small, BME retailers still play a crucial role in providing the choice and diversity which is a key feature of the retail offer in local, and often deprived, communities. Moreover, there are support agencies which offer ongoing training and advice to BME enterprises; for example the Shopeasy programme offered by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the West Midlands Business Links service which supports around 120 food retailers in the West Midlands and the Minority Ethnic Enterprise Network which helps businesses develop by sharing best practice and improving opportunities.

1.44 It is important to acknowledge the role that small BME retailers play in catering for the needs of their local communities, where more often than not there can be problems of deprivation and poor health, related to limited access to fresh and affordable food. BME convenience retailers are thus well placed to ‘plug’ the gaps in these areas and thus tackle the issue of food deserts by providing access to affordable and fresh food in areas where there is little scope for major entrants such as Tesco or Asda due to lack of suitable and available land.

Performance Analyses

Birmingham City Centre


1.45 Table 1 of Appendix 1 identifies the change in Birmingham City Centre’s national ranking since 2000/01; it shows an improvement of 3 places, from 6th to 3rd position. As a result of this, Birmingham remains the highest ranking centre in the West Midlands region and the highest of the comparator centres listed in paragraph 1.12. Also encouraging, is the city centre’s improvement of 4 places since its ranking of 7th in 1995.

Diversity of Main Town Centre Uses

1.46 The 85 convenience outlets in Birmingham City Centre in November 2008 equate to 7.54 per cent of the total units, which is below the UK average of 9.06 per cent

5 The ‘big four’ operators are: Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and WM Morrison.



(Table 6 of Appendix 2). Nevertheless, the city centre provides a broad spectrum of convenience representation, ranging from low-end retailers such as Costcutter, to mid and high-end retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer Simply Food. The largest convenience stores in the City Centre are the Sainsbury’s Central on Martineau Way with 990 sq.m of retail floorspace and Tesco Metro located on New Street, with a total floorspace of some 880 sq.m. The city also has a good offer in terms of independent convenience operators; both the indoor and the outdoor markets located on Edgbaston Street offer a wide range of local butchers, fishmongers, greengrocers and other convenience operators.

The markets are an important part of the retail offer in Birmingham City Centre

1.47 The comparison goods sector accounts for 41.84 per cent of the retail and service floorspace in Birmingham. This falls only slightly below the UK average of 45.32 per cent. As would be expected of a major city centre such as Birmingham, there is strong, above average representation in all of the four clothing subcategories (‘Footwear and repair’, ‘men’s and boy’s wear’, ‘Women’s, girls, children’s clothing’ and ‘general clothing’). Conversely, there is below average representation in all other categories with the exception of; ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’ and ‘sports, toys, cycles and hobbies’.

1.48 Birmingham City Centre caters for a wide range of comparison representation both in terms of scale and quality, particularly in recent years when schemes such as The Bullring, completed in 2003, have secured high quality occupiers, for example Selfridges, Topshop and Karen Millen. This emphasis on high-end clothing representation is reflected by the city’s 2008 MHE Fashion Market Position of ‘Upper-Middle’ as displayed in Table 1 of Appendix 1. It also worth noting, that in addition to representation from high profile retailers, the City Centre also caters for the lower end of the market, with operators such as Primark, T K Maxx and those independent comparison retailers operating from the ‘Rag Market’ located behind The Bullring.

1.49 The proportion of service outlets in Birmingham City Centre stands at 32 per cent, again this is slightly below the UK average of 33.23 per cent (Table 6 of Appendix 2). However whilst the proportion of service outlets as whole falls below the UK average, there are strong, above average levels of representation in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take away’ category. In terms of the quality of this offer, the city centre provides a reasonably broad range; nevertheless, some stakeholders have reported that city centre lacks adequate representation from mid to high quality chain restaurants and high quality independent restaurants. Indeed there is no representation from operators such as Carluccios or Giraffe as would be expected of a major regional city such as Birmingham.

1.50 The SOCD indicates that, in 2004, the 504,000 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace recorded for Birmingham City Centre was the highest of the four comparator centres listed in paragraph 1.12 above. This was closely followed by Leeds and Manchester which both contained 443,800 sq.m and 443,300 sq.m respectively.



This represents a significant increase since 2001, when the SOCD recorded 397,100 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace in the City Centre and Birmingham was ranked 3rd out of the comparator centres listed in paragraph 1.12. This growth in floorspace since 2001, can, in part, be attributed to the retail-led regeneration plans of the Birmingham Alliance. To date, the Birmingham Alliance has bought to the city; Martineau Place (2001), The Bullring (2003) and Bullring Link (2004). Martineau Galleries (to be commenced in 2010) is the final and fourth phase in the Alliance’s regeneration plans for the city.

1.51 Birmingham City Centre’s position is also healthy with regard to the amount of A3 (food and drink) floorspace. The 57,000 sq.m recorded for Birmingham City Centre in 2004 by the SOCD is the highest of the four centres listed in paragraph 1.12. This represents an increase of 7,800 sq.m since the 2000 SOCD was published. This is largely attributable to the completion of Martineau Place in 2001; the SOCD shows that between 2001 and 2002, there was an increase of 7,000 sq.m of A3 food and drink space.

The Potential Capacity for Growth or Change

1.52 On a strategic level, physical expansion of Birmingham City Centre in the past has been limited by Queensway and other highway constructions in the 1960’s. In the last ten years however, change has begun to take place in areas where the Queensway has become more permeable and central area uses have expanded to the west around Brindleyplace. Even more recently, central area uses have begun to expand to the east;.the next location for expansion of central area functions is Eastside; the Masshouse development and Millennium Point have already begun this process.

1.53 On a more site specific level, consultations with key landowners and stakeholders in the city centre reveal that the most substantial opportunity for growth or change is the proposed redevelopment of the Wholesale Markets site. The Wholesale Markets are located on Upper Dean Street in the area known as the city’s Chinatown and their redevelopment will form part of the wider plans for the Southside area. The developers, Gallan Group and Cornerstone Property, won consent for redevelopment of the 26 acre site in April of 2008. The 18,200 sq.m mixed use development will link the prime retail pitch around the Bullring with the Wholesale Markets and the wider Digbeth. The development will comprise a hotel, residential apartments and 2,300 sq.m of shops and offices.



The Wholesale Markets Site represents the next major step in the redevelopment of the city centre:

1.54 The Cube is the final phase of The Mailbox scheme by the Birmingham Development Company. The 23 storey, 10,300 sq.m mixed use development will comprise:

244 apartments;

a 40 bed boutique hotel;

a waterside restaurant and Birmingham’s first rooftop restaurant; and

8,900 sq.m of retail.

1.55 The retail element of the scheme will be distributed over four floors and it is envisaged that the development will cater for more up-market and exclusive retailers, thus, it will serve as an extension of the high quality retail provision currently on offer in The Mailbox.

1.56 Finally, Martineau Galleries will also result in significant growth of the city’s retail offer. The 270,000 sq.m mixed use development will include 85,000 sq.m of retail floorspace in addition to office, leisure and residential space. The retail element of the scheme will include space for a major department store alongside smaller units for other national multiple retailers. It is envisaged that the type of operator that this scheme will attract is the mid to high end operator, this will fill the gap between the high quality of the retail offer in The Mailbox and The Cube and the more mainstream offer in The Bullring. Discussions with stakeholders reveal that negotiations are currently underway with such operators to ensure that tenants are secured prior to construction commencing on site.


1.57 Birmingham’s representation of national convenience multiples, as discussed in paragraph 1.30, is wide ranging and caters for both ends of the spectrum in terms of high end and low end provision. Indeed, the centre is represented by 42 of the high profile retailers from our basket of 91 (Table 5 of Appendix 1), including four of the six premier department stores (Debenhams, House of Fraser, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols). Subsequently we consider that whilst Birmingham has a wide



retail offer, there is still scope for new retailers to take up space in the city centre. This is particularly relevant given the large amount of retail floorspace currently in the development pipeline.

1.58 Birmingham’s comparison provision is also wide ranging; the city centre includes a range of mainstream comparison retailers including TopShop, H&M, GAP and River Island, in addition to operators appealing to the higher market sectors such as Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. Table 1.2 below demonstrates the percentage of retailers within each fashion category. Indeed, Birmingham attains an overall ‘upper-middle’ for fashion in MHE’s 2008 Index; the only other strategic centre from lose listed in paragraph 1.12 which is given a higher rating is Manchester which is rated ‘Upper’ in MHE’s 2008 ‘Fashion Count’.

Table 1.2 Proportion of Retailers in Birmingham City Centre Within Each MHE Fashion Category (%)

Luxury Upper Upper-Middle Middle Lower-Middle Value 17.6 6.7 26.1 29.0 13.2 5.6

Source: Retail Rankings, MHE, 2008

1.59 Birmingham’s high ‘fashion’ ranking, reflects the presence of the ‘luxury’ high profile retailers listed in Table 5 of Appendix 1. In Manchester however, the proportion of ‘luxury’ retailers located within the City Centre is 22.2 per cent, hence the city’s higher overall rating of ‘upper’.

1.60 Birmingham City Centre contains a wide range of banks, building societies and national travel agencies. There is also representation from a large number of national fast food outlets and café/bar/restaurant uses such as Nandos, Pizza Express, San Carlos and Strada. This is to be expected of a major regional centre such as Birmingham.

1.61 The FOCUS database (Table 2 of Appendix 1) confirms that the number of requirements posted for Birmingham City Centre remains high; 178 in January 2009. Thus Birmingham currently retains its strong appeal to retailers, some of which include Nokia, Firetrap, Argos, Quiksilver, Tommy Hilfiger, Laura Ashley, Pret a Manger (UK) Ltd, Pizza Express and Costa Coffee. Indeed, the number of schemes which have recently been completed or which are in the development pipeline will ensure that the City Centre remains a sought after destination.

1.62 However, Graph 1.1 demonstrates that whilst the city has experienced steady growth in operator requirements since 2004, interest reached a peak in 2007 before beginning to drop slightly. Only in the last year or so has the number of requirements posted for Birmingham City Centre begun to rise again.

1.63 Some stakeholders reported that in the last six to twelve months, levels of operator interest in the city centre have not been as strong. We consider that this is primarily due to instability in the global economy, whereby investors and retailers are choosing to sit and make do with what assets they already have rather than commit to new schemes or premises. Hence it is likely that the fluctuating nature of retailer requirements is symptomatic of wider macroeconomic instability and uncertainty as opposed to a specific failing of the city centre itself. Moreover, it remains the case that prime pitches in the city centre, in and around The Bullring and along New Street remain popular with operators; this is evidenced by the fact that when vacant units do come along in these locations, they do not remain so for long.



Graph 1.1 Birmingham City Centre Retailer Requirements 2000-2009 vis-à-vis Comparator Strategic Centres

Source: FOCUS Town Reports

1.64 We contacted the agents acting for those retail operators that appear on FOCUS’s list, as well as a range of other operators whom we felt may have an interest in acquiring space in Birmingham, with a view to establishing the firmness or otherwise of their clients’ interest in the city as an investment location. These discussions revealed that the following operators have a confirmed interest in Birmingham:

East Restaurant has a requirement for a unit on either New Street or High Street;

Argos requires new space for the relocation and amalgamation of its three existing stores in the city centre;

Bose have a requirement for space of between 1,500 and 2,000 sq.ft provided very attractive terms are available;

Tog 24 have a firm requirement for space in the city centre with a sales area of between 1,500 sq.ft and 2,500 sq.ft;

O’Brien’s Sandwich Bar;

1.65 Thus whilst the overall number of operators with requirements for Birmingham City Centre is down, and in light of the slowdown in the UK economy, it would appear that there are still a number of retailers that are actively taking space in the city centre. Indeed, The Bullring has seen recent deals to Lacoste and Kurt Geiger, which is opening its first standalone store in the region.


1.66 Zone A rents in Birmingham City Centre averaged £325 per sq.ft in June 2008, which is the highest level achieved in all of the four strategic centres listed in paragraph 1.12. Since June 1987, the rate of Zone A rental growth has been fast, almost trebling from £110 per sq.ft.



Graph 1.2 Birmingham City Centre Zone A Retail Rents vis-à-vis Comparator Strategic Centres

Source: FOCUS Town Reports

1.67 Table 4 of Appendix 1 and Graph 1.2 confirm that prime all risk yields in Birmingham City Centre have fluctuated around the 5 per cent mark since 2001. The optimum yield was recorded in July 2007 when yields fell to as low 4.5 per cent. Since then, values have deteriorated and in July 2008, they were at an all time high of 5.25 per cent. This compares poorly against other similar centres; in July 2008, prime all risk yields in Leeds were at 4.75 per cent, whilst in Manchester and Nottingham they were as low as 4.5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. Liverpool, the fourth comparator centre listed in paragraph 1.12 however has experienced similar yield shifts to Birmingham, with current yields at 5.25 per cent. However, it is important to note that this deterioration of yields in Birmingham could be a symptom of wider instability in the macroeconomy, as opposed to a decline of the city centre itself.


1.68 There were 187 vacant units in Birmingham City Centre in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total retail and service units – of 16.58 per cent, which is significantly higher than the UK average vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent.

1.69 The proportion of vacant floorspace in the city centre is also reasonably high, at 15.14 per cent. Again, this is considerably higher than the UK average of 9.34 per cent. However without undertaking more detailed research, it is difficult to say for sure whether or not this higher than average vacancy rate is symptomatic of changes in the wider macro economy and expenditure patterns, or whether it results from more local deficiencies specific to Birmingham City Centre.

1.70 It would appear that there are several small concentrations of vacant units in the city centre, namely along Canon Street and Bull Street, and in the Great Western Arcade and Priory Square Shopping Centre. One stakeholder spoke of the ‘after Bullring effect’ whereby for several years after the Bullring had been completed, the popularity of this destination ‘sucked’ the life out of the rest of the city centre.



Small ‘pockets’ of vacancies are located throughout the city centre:

1.71 However in more recent years this trend has reversed as redevelopment of surrounding areas has begun to take place. The wider impact that the Bullring has had on the rest of the city centre should thus be seen as positive; in order to remain competitive, retailers have had to ‘raise their game’ and improve the quality of their retail offer so that it complements the quality of choice at the Bullring – a prime example of this being House of Fraser’s £30m refurbishment.

1.72 Redevelopment of a portion of Priory Square Shopping Centre and surrounding areas to make way for Martineau Galleries should help to address the unusually high vacancy rate currently experienced in Birmingham. The Martineau Galleries scheme will link this area to the prime retail pitches in and around the Bullring, helping to improve permeability and the flow of pedestrians throughout the city centre.

1.73 Retail Birmingham is also addressing the decline of a number of the city’s shopping arcades by investing in the refurbishment of these historic shopping locations. This will help to make them a more attractive destination and will help attract the independent niche retailers which Birmingham currently lacks.

1.74 Most recently, we are able to assess the impact that the recession has had on retailers in Birmingham City Centre. Indeed, when we visited the city we noted that there was a large and prominent vacant unit located at the entrance to the Pavillions Shopping Centre. However, discussions with stakeholders indicate that this unit, formerly a Zavvi store, is unlikely to remain vacant for long due to its prime location,


1.75 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Birmingham City Centre as a whole. Nevertheless, some stakeholder consultees reported that city centre footfall remains strong, particularly in central areas along New Street and in and around the Bullring.. This accords with our own observations; the city centre has been busy each time we have visited.

Accessibility

1.76 Accessibility to Birmingham City Centre by car and public transport is particularly good. The city centre has excellent connectivity to a wide range of national destinations from New Street Station, whilst Snow Hill and Moor Street stations perform secondary roles, providing access to smaller centres in and around the city region.

1.77 Our own visits to the city centre revealed that on arrival at New Street station, passengers are greeted by an especially dark and unwelcoming environment; however the New Street Gateway scheme hopes to transform the current 1960’s built station into a bright and modern transport hub for the entire region. Redevelopment of the station will provide passengers with better levels of access to the station, including direct access facing the Bull Ring. Outline planning



permission was submitted in February 2007 with the first phase of redevelopment due to be completed in 2012/13 and the whole scheme completed in 2014.

Arrival at Birmingham from New Street Station is unpleasant:

1.78 There is an emphasis in Birmingham on the private vehicle; this has led to an urban form which is not particularly conducive to travel by other means. In this context, a number of strategies have been proposed which aim to improve existing public transport services and ensure that the level of traffic flowing in and out of the city centre does not begin to rise. One of the key strategies is the expansion of the Midland Metro system; this would link Edgbaston, Great Barr and Birmingham International Airport to the city centre.

Perception of Safety and Occurrence of Crime

1.79 Our own visit to the city centre revealed that there is a good network of CCTV covering all main areas, in addition to 15 street wardens who help to make the city centre environment feel safe and welcoming. Retail Birmingham has also been working closely with West Midlands Police and Retail Crime Operation to help combat and reduce incidences of shoplifting in the city centre.


1.80 Observations made during our on-foot survey of the city centre indicate that the public realm in Birmingham City Centre is of mixed environmental quality. Whilst core areas in and around the Bullring and along New Street are well maintained and enhanced through the use of lighting, planters and public seating areas, the standard of the environment in those areas away from the prime pitches are of an inferior quality; this is especially the case around the Priory Square Shopping Centre and the Southside area located behind the Bullring.

1.81 Moreover, in many of the areas with an industrial legacy, the quality of the street environment is particularly unattractive. Nevertheless, whilst public green open space within the city is limited, the centre benefits from a network of public squares which have been complemented by successful public realm projects such as Centenary Square and Brindleyplace.



Public realm schemes such as Victoria Square have enhanced the image of the city centre:

Summary of the Performance of Birmingham City Centre

1.82 Most of the health check indicators point to a significant improvement in Birmingham City Centre’s overall vitality and viability. Much of this is attributable to the highly successful and visible retail-led regeneration of the city centre which has been assisted by the proactive and progressive approach of the council.

1.83 In terms of the health check indicators, we note in particular the following:

Birmingham City Centre’s improvement of 3 places in the MHE Index since 2000/01, overtaking other regional centres such as Manchester and Liverpool;

the high retail Zone A rents, vis-à-vis other strategic centres in the North of England, indicating strong levels of demand for retail space in the city centre;

the presence of several high-end ‘luxury’ retailers which help to strengthen the status of the city centre and enhance the quality of the retail offer;

the relatively strong levels of operator interest in the city centre;

the steadily improving public realm and urban environment; and

whilst past trends have led to a reliance on the use of the private vehicle, initiatives outlined in the Big City Plan should soon begin to address this issue through promotion of public transport, expansion of existing services and a more pedestrian friendly city centre.

1.84 However, two performance indicators do raise concern. The first is the higher than average vacancy rate in the City Centre, both in terms of the proportion of vacant units and the proportion of vacant floorspace. In November 2008, there were 187 vacant units in the city centre, equating to a vacancy rate of 16.58 per cent, which is significantly higher than the UK average of 11.07 per cent (Table 6 of Volume 3).

1.85 The second indicator giving rise to some concern is the deterioration in prime yields in Birmingham City Centre since January 2008. Indeed, of 5.25 per cent in July



2008 (the latest available data from the Valuation Office), Birmingham’s prime yield is significantly more than in Nottingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds (Table 4 of Volume 3).

1.86 Nevertheless, despite the relatively high level of vacancies and the deterioration in prime yields, we consider that the weight of the other health check indicators suggests an improving City Centre. Clearly, however, there is no room for complacency.

Sutton Coldfield Sub-Regional Centre


1.87 Table 1 of Appendix 1 demonstrates that Sutton Coldfield has fallen 59 places since 1995/1996 from 135th to 194th in the MHE national retail rankings. Sutton Coldfield remains the 2nd ranked centre out of our 19 study centres, second only to Birmingham City Centre; this is primarily due to its size and status as a sub regional centre. When ranked against the comparator centres listed paragraph 1.12, Sutton Coldfield performs poorly, with centres such as Walsall and Redditch achieving higher positions of 99th and 183rd respectively. However, it out performs Cannock and Lichfield which both achieve positions of 254th and 249th respectively in 2008.


1.88 Sutton Coldfield contained 13 convenience outlets in April 2008 (Table 7 of Appendix 3); this equates to 6.60 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is considerably lower than the UK average of 9.96 per cent. Moreover, there is no representation from retailers in the two sub categories of ‘butchers’ or ‘greengrocers and fishmongers’. The quality of the convenience offer in Sutton Coldfield is generally low end, with representation from retailers such as Iceland and Aldi; the latter providing the main convenience offer in Sutton Coldfield with a total floorspace of 1,070 sq.m.

1.89 In the comparison sector, Table 7 of Appendix 3 demonstrates that Sutton Coldfield contains 99 non-food outlets, equating to 50.25 per cent of all units, which is higher than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. There is representation from a good number of mainstream high street retailers, including; New Look, H&M, Waterstones and Boots, in addition to retailers operating at the lower end of the market such as Wilkinson, M K One and T K Maxx. Under represented in Sutton Coldfield are retailers operating in the sub categories of ‘men’s and boy’s wear’, DIY, hard ware and electrical goods’, ‘gifts, china, glass and leather goods’ and ‘florists and gardens’.

1.90 The 57 service outlets in Sutton Coldfield account for 28.93 per cent of town centre units, which is below the UK average of 33.23 per cent. This is attributable to the lower than average proportion of uses in the ‘restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub category, with such uses accounting for only 7.11 per cent of total town centre units. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 14.34 per cent. Nevertheless, the ‘banks and financial services’ and ‘estate agents and auctioneers’ subcategories are particularly well-represented numerically in Sutton Coldfield, with both categories including several ‘high street’ names such as Halifax, HSBC, Knight Frank and Belvoir.

1.91 The SOCD shows that in 2004, only three of the comparator centres listed in paragraph 1.12 above – namely Brierley Hill, Nuneaton and Redditch – contained less A1 retail floorspace than Sutton Coldfield Town centre, which contained 107,100 sq.m.


1.92 The Draft Sutton Coldfield SPD (January 2009) identifies the Council’s strategic aspirations for regeneration of the town. The Framework area covers 26.5 ha of



Sutton Coldfield Town Centre and identifies 11 key sites for regeneration and investment. In terms of the retail offer in Sutton Coldfield, the Framework outlines two key strategic objectives:

to ensure that the local population has the quality of shops and leisure activities to encourage them to spend locally, rather than in competing centres across Birmingham and the West Midlands; and

the enhancement of the retail offer to provide a mix of uses which will act as the principal catalyst for the regeneration of the town centre.

1.93 A higher quality retail offer will be attracted to the town centre through the refurbishment and extension of the existing Mall shopping centre, and the redevelopment of the Red Rose Centre and Newhall Walk, to create a new anchor store within a vastly improved pedestrian environment.


1.94 Most of the multiple retailers present in Sutton Coldfield Town Centre are within the middle and, in some cases, the lower end of the retail spectrum. Sutton Coldfield’s representation of national convenience multiples is limited to Iceland, Aldi and a small Tesco Express (300 sq.m), as well as outlets such as Greggs, Holland & Barrett and several newsagents.

1.95 Sutton Coldfield has a range of mainstream comparison retail multiples including New Look, Burton, TK Maxx and Waterstones. However, again, most of these operators are focused towards the middle and, more frequently, the lower ends of the retail spectrum. Indeed, the ‘Fashion Count’ in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index indicates that Sutton Coldfield achieves an overall ‘middle’ rating for fashion. Table 1.3 below demonstrates the proportion of retailers within each category.

Table 1.3 Proportion of Retailers in Sutton Coldfield Within Each MHE Fashion Category (%)

Luxury Upper Upper-Middle Middle Lower-Middle Value 0 0 17.8 43.8 30.1 8.2

Source: Retail Rankings, MHE, 2008

1.96 Sutton Coldfield’s ‘middle’ ranking reflects the absence in the town centre of the high profile retailers listed in Table 1 of Appendix 1. However when compared against the centres listed in paragraph 1.12, Sutton Coldfield performs similarly, with all these centres achieving the ‘middle’ rating except for Wolverhampton and Redditch – ‘lower’ - and Solihull – ‘upper-middle’.

1.97 Discussions with stakeholders confirmed our own observations that Sutton Coldfield does not adequately cater for the affluent population living in the area; subsequently the town is losing business to Birmingham City Centre and other surrounding retail centres. The Sutton Coldfield Town Centre Regeneration Framework aims to address this deficiency by ensuring that the town fulfills its potential as a strategic centre, offering the quality of shopping, leisure and residential opportunities for local residents that one would expect of one of the wealthiest parts of the Birmingham area.

1.98 The FOCUS database identifies some operator interest for representation in Sutton Coldfield from retailers such as Argos, Maplin and T J Hughes; however Table 2 of Appendix 1 demonstrates that Sutton Coldfield has experienced a decline in operator interest since April 2000. This level of interest peaked in October 2005 at 75, with the most recent figures published in January 2009 demonstrating an all time low of just 33.

1.99 We contacted the agents acting for those retail operators with a view to establishing the firmness or otherwise of their clients’ level of interest in Sutton Coldfield. Upon



further investigation, we found that the following operators have a confirmed requirement for space in the town centre:

Sainsbury’s have a requirement for a foodstore with a minimum net floorspace of 15,000 sq ft and a maximum net floorspace of 100,000 sq.ft;

East Restaurant require a unit in The Parade;

Café Rouge have a requirement for space in Sutton Coldfield, however this is unlikely to be within the next two years due to the current economic climate;

Tog 24 have a firm requirement for space with a sales area of between 1,500 sq.ft and 2,500 sq.ft;

Suits You;

Peacocks;

Argos;

1.100 Evidently, despite the recent gradual decline in the number of operators posting requirements for Sutton Coldfield, there still exist reasonably strong levels of interest for space in the centre. Moreover, the redevelopment planned for Sutton Coldfield should help to further bolster operator interest in the centre.


1.101 Zone A rents in Sutton Coldfield averaged £135 per sq.ft in June 2008, which is below the levels achieved by Solihull and Coventry, but higher than those in the remaining comparator centres of Wolverhampton, Walsall, Nuneaton and Redditch (Figure 3 of Appendix 1). Since 2000, the rate of Zone A rental growth has been slow in Sutton Coldfield town centre (7 per cent growth). This is the second lowest growth rate of all the comparator centres, with only Redditch recording slower growth at 4 per cent. The fastest growth rate was achieved by Nuneaton (42 per cent), however it is important to note that such a high rate of rental growth has been achieved in Nuneaton because it was coming from such a low base (£70 per sq.ft in 2000).

1.102 Table 4 of Appendix 1 confirms that prime yields in Sutton Coldfield have improved slightly since March 2001, with yields moving from 7 per cent in April 2001, to 6.75 per cent in July 2008. Of the strategic centres that we have benchmarked Sutton Coldfield against, only Nuneaton experienced a similar compression of yields, with values in all other centres either worsening or remaining static.


1.103 There were 23 vacant units in Sutton Coldfield town centre in April 2008 (Appendix 3); this equates to a vacancy rate of 11.68 per cent, which is slightly above the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Our on foot survey of the town centre revealed that none of the vacant units are large or located in prominent positions, nor are there any obvious concentrations of vacancies.

1.104 Encouragingly, the proportion of vacant floorspace in Sutton Coldfield is lower than the UK average of 9.34 per cent, at 6.92 per cent in April 2008. This is attributable to the fact that most of the town centre’s larger units within the core area are occupied; as noted above, the majority of vacant units are smaller and this has the effect of the reducing the total proportion of vacant floorspace.


1.105 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Sutton Coldfield town centre as a whole. Nevertheless, our own observations reveal that the town centre has been busy with pedestrians whenever we have visited.



Accessibility

1.106 Accessibility to Sutton Coldfield Town Centre by car and by public transport is very good. The town centre benefits from a good provision of buses with a train station in close proximity to the core of the town centre. The central part of the primary shopping area is pedestrianised with wide streets and there appear to be no pedestrian/vehicle conflicts.

1.107 Key projects outlined in the Sutton Coldfield Town Centre Regeneration Framework aim to further improve accessibility to Sutton Coldfield; projects include:

The provision of a new bus interchange, removing buses from the prime shopping area to a safer and more accessible location;

reduction of the traffic flow along the High Street through new public realm improvements; and

improvement of the connections between High Street and Birmingham Road.


1.108 Sutton Coldfield is generally clean and well maintained, with no evidence of litter or graffiti. The external appearance of most buildings is good, with several areas of attractive, older buildings in the centre.

The town centre environment is generally pleasant:

1.109 Plans outlined in the Sutton Coldfield Town Centre Regeneration Framework aim to further improve the environmental quality of the town centre and recapture the grandeur of a ‘Royal Town’. A new high quality public realm strategy has been proposed which will include the following:

new, quality pedestrian routes;

well designed public parks and squares; and

a new public square in the heart of the town centre.

Summary of the Performance of Sutton Coldfield Town Centre

1.110 Our evaluation of the PPS6 performance indicators demonstrate that Sutton Coldfield is a relatively stable centre, but that it is underperforming in relation to its potential. In particular we note that Sutton Coldfield, appears generally busy, has a clean, pleasant town centre environment and has a low vacancy rate.

1.111 Of slight concern however is the fact that the quality of the retail offer is somewhat poor; indeed, our own observations reveal that the vast majority of operators cater for the middle and more frequently, lower end of the retail spectrum. In this context we consider that Sutton Coldfield is underperforming in relation to the local spending power of its population and its position within the hierarchy of centres in the wider Birmingham area. At present, the town appears to be serving a more local function, with the majority of the local population traveling to Birmingham City



Centre to undertake their main shopping trips. As such Sutton Coldfield needs to significantly improve the quality of its retail offer if it is to retain the significant spending power of its local catchment.

1.112 Comments made by local stakeholders confirm our own observations of the performance of Sutton Coldfield. In particular we note the following comments:

in recent years the vast majority of independent retailers have moved out of the town centre, this has had a detrimental on the quality and range of the retail offer;

whilst there is interest from retailers to locate in Sutton Coldfield, the centre is restricted physically in terms of available developable land; and

in recent years the centre seems to have ‘lost its way’. This is in terms of the quality of the offer and the choice available to shoppers.

1.113 Our land use audit of the centre carried out in November 2008 also revealed that the majority of the vacant units in Sutton Coldfield are small in scale and of lower quality than those that are occupied. Accordingly we recommend that in order to attract higher profile operators and reduce the vacancy rate in the centre, the emphasis should be placed on focusing resources on redevelopment of these dated units to more modern retailing standards. This redevelopment will be guided by the strategic objectives outlined in the Sutton Coldfield Regeneration Framework.

Perry Barr District Centre


1.114 Table 1 of Appendix 1 shows that Perry Barr has been classed by MHE as two distinct centres; Perry Barr One Stop and Perry Barr. Whilst the One Stop shopping centre ranks 399th, Perry Barr attains a much lower ranking of 2,467th in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index. For the One Stop Shopping Centre, since 2000/01, this represents a minor fall of 25 places.

1.115 As 2008 was the first year that Perry Barr, as opposed to the One Stop, was included in the Index we have no way of ascertaining whether or not the centre’s position has improved or deteriorated. When compared against the other district centres included in MHE’s 2008 Index, only two other centres have a lower ranking, namely New Oscott (2,608th) and Mere Green (5,720th). Contrastingly, the One Stop performs reasonably well against the other study centres included in the Index, such as Dudley which achieved a ranking of 424th in 2008.


1.116 The 19 convenience outlets in Perry Barr Town Centre in February 2008 equated to 13.57 per cent of units, which is higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Perry Barr secures representation from all 6 of the convenience sub-categories, with particularly high levels of representation from the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub-category; 5 per cent compared to the UK average of 2.80 per cent. Nevertheless, the main convenience offer in Perry Barr is limited to an 8,050 sq.m Asda store, indicating that the convenience retail offer in Perry Barr is focused towards the lower or value end of the market.

1.117 The comparison goods sector accounts for 48.57 per cent of the retail and service units in Perry Barr Town Centre. This compares favorably against the UK average which currently stands at 45.32 per cent. However despite the higher than average proportion of comparison units, the centre fails to secure representation from the two sub-categories of ‘gifts, china, glass and leather goods’ and ‘jewelers, clocks and repair’. Moreover, whilst there are good levels of representation from all four of the clothing sub-categories, particularly the ‘women’s, girls, children’s clothing’ sub-category, most of these outlets tend to operate towards the middle, and more



frequently, lower end of the retail spectrum, with retailers such as Bon Marche, Burton and New Look.

1.118 Table 8 of Appendix 2 demonstrates that the proportion of service outlets in Perry Barr is lower than the UK average in terms of both the number of units and the total proportion of floorspace. Such uses account for 28.57 per cent of total units (UK average – 33.23 per cent) and 12.95 per cent of total floorspace (UK average – 21.75 per cent). Whilst Perry Barr secures representation from all of the service sector sub-categories, the proportion of some of these is below the UK average, most notably, the ‘restaurants, cafés, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category; whilst the UK average is 14.34 per cent, the proportion of these uses in Perry Barr is a much lower 9.29 per cent.

1.119 The SOCD shows that in 2004 Perry Barr contained 34,100 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace. This is a healthy indication, particularly when compared against other district centres included in the SOCD; only three of these contain more A1 retail floorspace, namely Erdington, Northfield and Kings Heath.


1.120 There are 12 vacant units in Perry Barr, which represent the most appropriate development/re-occupation opportunities within the Town Centre, either individually or in conglomeration.


1.121 Most of the national multiple retailers present in Perry Barr Town Centre are in the middle and, more frequently, lower end of the retail spectrum. As previously noted, the convenience offer in the centre is limited in range, with only one multiple operator, Asda..

1.122 Perry Barr has a small range of mainstream comparison retail multiples, including New Look, Burton, Bon Marche and Peacocks. However many of these operators are focused towards the lower and lower-middle market sectors. Indeed, the ‘Fashion Count’ in MHE’s 2008 Index indicates that the Perry Barr One Stop achieves an overall rating of ‘Value’ for fashion. In this context we consider that the comparison goods offer in Perry Barr is somewhat limited in terms of both the scale of the offer and the quality of the offer.

1.123 Perry Barr contains a typical range of banks, building societies and national travel agents. There is also representation from a number of national fast food outlets such as KFC and McDonalds. However, as we have previously noted, the town centre is devoid of higher quality, family oriented restaurants and coffee bars such as Piccolino, Pizza Express and Zizzi. Representation from one or more of this type of operator would help bolster the status of Perry Barr.

1.124 There is no published data available on retail/service requirements for Perry Barr, however we contacted the agents acting for a range of operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Perry Barr as an investment location. Our research found that the following operators have a confirmed interest in locating in Perry Barr:

Sainsbury’s have a requirement for a foodstore with a minimum net floorspace of 15,000 sq.ft and a maximum net floorspace of 100,000 sg.ft;

1.125 However we must emphasise that this search was not exhaustive and so should not be taken to imply that interest for space in Perry Barr is only limited to those operators listed above.


1.126 Published time series data is not available for rents and yields in Perry Barr.




1.127 Table 8 of Appendix 2 confirms that there were 12 vacant units in Perry Barr in February 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 8.57 per cent, which is below the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Even more encouragingly, the 2.96 per cent of vacant floorspace in Perry Barr is significantly lower than the UK average of 9.34 per cent. This indicates that most of the large units in the centre are occupied; this was confirmed by our own on-foot audit of the centre which identified a total of 12 vacant units, none of which were large or located in prominent positions.


1.128 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Perry Barr Town Centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that the town centre has been busy with pedestrians whenever we have visited, particularly in the central areas in and around the One Stop Shopping Centre.

Accessibility

1.129 Accessibility to Perry Barr by public transport is good; the centre benefits from a train station and a bus station, both of which have frequent and regular services to the city centre and throughout the city region. In terms of access by car, our own observations reveal that parking facilities in the centre are good, with free spaces located at the One Stop Shopping Centre.

1.130 However, detracting from the environment of Perry Barr is the A34 Walsall Road and the A453 Birchfield road, both of which dissect the town centre. This not only creates difficulties for pedestrians, but also disconnects the retail units on either side of the town centre and makes for an unpleasant town centre environment.

The A453 divides the centre, creating an unpleasant shopping environment:


1.131 We observed that the public realm is of mixed environmental quality in Perry Barr. The One Stop Shopping Centre is well maintained, well lit and benefits from planting and public seating areas throughout.



1.132 In contrast, the public realm outside of the shopping centre is dominated by the two busy roads with evidence of graffiti and litter; this detracts from the overall quality of the town centre environment. Moreover, the units along the A453 are small, dated and inefficient.

1.133 In this context we consider that, Perry Barr is a centre with two distinct parts; whilst the One Stop Shopping Centre appears to be reasonably healthy, the areas outside of the Shopping Centre are significantly underperforming. There is a clear need to improve the linkages between the Birchfield local centre and the One Stop Shopping Centre. As we have noted, the centre as a whole suffers from severance by road and rail. There is also a need to improve linkages between the Birmingham City University and the One Stop Shopping Centre, given the importance of the expenditure of students.

Summary of the Performance of Perry Barr Town Centre

1.134 Most of the health check indicators suggest that Perry Barr is a relatively stable centre; it has a low vacancy rate, appears to be generally busy and the One Stop Shopping Centre provides a clean and pleasant shopping environment. The centre also benefits from the dog track and being in close proximity to the University of Birmingham. The retail offer however is slightly limited in terms of quality with much of the convenience and comparison offer generally focused on the discount end of the market. However, we consider that this is not a particularly worrying sign given the low vacancy rate and the presence of several high street operators in the town centre.

1.135 Nevertheless, whilst the One Stop Shopping Centre appears to be reasonably healthy, the peripheral areas of Perry Barr, located outside of the shopping centre and along the A453, are somewhat underperforming; this has a detrimental effect on the centre as a whole.

Acocks Green District Centre


1.136 Acocks Green is ranked 581st in the MHE 2008 Shopping Index, demonstrating a fall of 133 places since 1995/96 when the centre was ranked 448th. This is the third highest fall experienced by any of the 14 district centres included in the MHE Shopping Index 2008. When compared against these centres, Acocks Green comes in 5th behind Erdington, Kings Heath, Northfield and Harborne; with Erdington achieving the highest rank of 285th.


1.137 Table 9 of Appendix 2 confirms that the 16 convenience outlets present in Acocks Green in November 2008 account for 14.41 per cent of total retail and service units. The ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub-category is particularly well represented with such uses accounting for 4.50 per cent of total retail and service units which is above the UK average of 2.80 per cent. Indeed, the centre secures representation from the following multiples: Aldi, Farmfoods, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Costcutter. In this context we consider that the convenience offer in Acocks Green is suitably healthy, offering a wide range in terms of both quality and choice.

1.138 The comparison goods sector accounts for 43.24 per cent of total retail and service units in the town centre. Whilst this is slightly lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent, there is representation from all four of the important clothing sub-categories, with representation from several fashion multiples such as Dorothy Perkins, Bon Marche and Burtons. The strongest levels of representation are from retailers operating in the ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’ sub-category. Indeed, Acocks Green benefits from an Argos and Wilkinsons store. The only sub-categories which are not represented in Acocks Green are ‘gifts, china,



glass, and leather goods’, ‘florists and gardens’ and ‘sports, toys, cycles and hobbies’.

The presence of several multiples boosts the retail offer in Acocks Green:

1.139 The 39 service uses in Acocks Green account for 35.14 per cent of total retail and service units (Table 9 of Appendix 2) which is slightly higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. Indeed, there is a high proportion of retailers operating in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ and ‘banks and financial services (incl. accountants)’ sub-categories. Such uses account for 13.51 per cent and 9.01 per cent respectively of total retail and service units. Nevertheless, there is strong numerical representation from operators in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category, the majority of these operators are lower quality fast-food and take-away outlets, rather than the higher quality, sit-down restaurants that would help to strengthen the status of the centre.

1.140 The SOCD indicates that in 2004, Acocks Green contained 32,400 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace. This represents an increase of 400 sq.m since 2000. This is healthy indication, especially when compared against the other Birmingham District Centres included in our study; Harborne contained 17,100 sq.m of retail floorspace in 2004, whilst Saltley contained just 11,600 sq.m.

1.141 Our own observations reveal that the scale and quality of A1 retail floorspace in Acocks Green is mixed. The majority of the retail units along the B4146 are small, older terraced units, whilst on the eastern edge of the core of the town centre there are several larger and more modern purpose built units accommodating operators such as Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Farmfoods and Just For Pets.

Acocks Green is characterised by a range of both large, purpose built units and smaller, converted retail units:


1.142 Our own observations of Acocks Green indicate that there is little physical capacity for further development within or around the town centre



1.143 Rather we consider that the 7 vacant units in Acocks Green represent the most appropriate development/re-occupation opportunities within the Town Centre, either individually or in conglomeration. Moreover, modernisation of the dated and inefficient units in the centre would help to attract higher quality multiple retailers.


1.144 The vast majority of convenience and comparison retailers in Acocks Green are in the middle and more frequently, the lower end of the retail spectrum. Moreover, the centre is devoid of higher quality, family oriented, sit-down restaurants, with the main offer limited to operators such as Subway, KFC and Pizza Hut in addition to several independent take-away outlets. Subsequently, we consider that the town centre could benefit with representation from higer quality restaurant operators such as Zizzi, Pizza Express or Café Rouge. This would help to strengthen the service offer in Acocks Green.

1.145 We contacted a number of agents acting for a various convenience, comparison and service operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Acocks Green as an investment location. Our research indicates that in addition to the supermarkets listed in Table 1.1, Peacocks also have a confirmed interest in acquiring floorspace in Acocks Green.


1.146 Time series rental data is not published for Acocks Green. However Table 4 of Appendix 1 confirms that prime yields in Acocks Green have compressed slightly from 9 per cent in April 2001, to 8.75 per cent in July 2008. Whilst this is only a small compression, it is an encouraging indication.


1.147 Table 9 of Appendix 2 indicates that there were 7 vacant properties in Acocks Green in November 2008. This equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total units – of 6.31 per cent which is considerably lower than the UK average vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent. Our land use audit of the centre also revealed that there were no concentrations of vacancies, nor were any of the vacant units large or in prominent locations.


1.148 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian surveys carried out for Acocks Green Town Centre as a whole. However our own observations reveal that the centre was exceptionally busy when we visited; this was evidenced by the crowded pavements, all the town centre car parks at full capacity and the busy, congested roads in and around the town centre.

Accessibility

1.149 Access to Acocks Green by public transport appears to be reasonably good. The centre benefits from a comprehensive bus service, a train station on the outskirts of the town centre and a park and ride service. Nevertheless, access to the town centre by private vehicle is somewhat more difficult due to the limited parking availability and the busy and congested roads both in and around the town centre.


1.150 Acocks Green benefits from a number of public realm improvement measures, including the installation of public seating areas throughout the centre and several planters and areas of soft landscaping. However Acocks Green still contains a number of run down and tired looking buildings and there is also evidence of graffiti and litter in some areas of the town centre.



Summary of the Performance of Acocks Green Town Centre

1.151 Overall we conclude that Acocks Green is a generally pleasant, vibrant and stable town centre. This is evidenced by the town centre’s healthy convenience retail offer; the range of comparison retailers (including clothing retailers) and the large proportion of representation from operators in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category. Improving yields high pedestrian flows and the low vacancy rates are also healthy indicators,

1.152 The interest expressed in Acocks Green from operators such as Peacocks is encouraging, however the centre could benefit from securing representation from higher quality operators. Whilst there are strong levels of representation from most sub-categories, the vast majority of this offer is focused towards the value or discount end of the market, indicating that whilst the scale of the offer in Acocks Green is good, the quality of this offer is somewhat limited.

Erdington District Centre


1.153 Erdington was ranked 285th in the MHE 2008 Shopping Index, demonstrating a fall of 71 places since 1995/96 when the centre was ranked 214th. Despite this, Erdington is the highest placed centre of the 14 district centres included in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index.


1.154 Erdington Town Centre contained 23 convenience outlets in November 2008; this equates to 10 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is above the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Our own detailed land use audit which we undertook in November 2008 also revealed that Erdington is well represented in all of the convenience sub-sectors achieving above-average representation in the subcategories of ‘greengrocers and fishmongers’ and ‘grocery and frozen foods’. Indeed Erdington benefits from a Farmfoods, Iceland, Co-op and a Tesco Express. In this context, we consider that the convenience offer in Erdington is reasonably healthy.

1.155 Table 10 of Appendix 2 shows that Erdington contains 92 non-food outlets, equating to 40 per cent of the centre’s total units which is below the UK average of 45.32 per cent. In particular, Erdington has no representation from the ‘men’s and boy’s wear’ sub-category and below average representation in the ‘mixed and general clothing’ sub-category. Nevertheless, there is strong representation in the women’s, girl’s and children’s clothing’ and ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’ sub-categories. In terms of the quality of the offer in Erdington, our land use audit of the centre revealed that this is primarily focused toward the middle and more frequently lower end of the retail spectrum, indicating that the diversity and quality of the offer in Erdington is somewhat limited.

1.156 Service outlets account for 33.48 per cent of uses in Erdington town centre; this is only slightly higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. Most numerically strong are banks and financial services, of which there are 20 present in Erdington. The centre however suffers from a lack of ‘restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ and whilst there are several fast food outlets such as KFC and Subway, the centre lacks representation from higher end café/restaurant/bar fascias such as Pizza Express or Zizzi.

1.157 The SOCD indicates that there is 66,000 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace in Erdington Town Centre. This demonstrates an increase of 1,700 sq.m since figures were first published in 2000. Of the 9 district centres included in the SOCD, Erdington contains the highest amount of A1 retail floorspace, second to Northfield which in 2004 contained 45,500 sq.m.




1.158 There are 34 vacant units in Erdington, which represent the most appropriate development/re-occupation opportunities within the Town Centre, either individually or in conglomeration.


1.159 Erdington benefits from representation from four convenience multiple operators, namely; Farmfoods, Iceland, Co-op and Tesco Express. However there is a distinct lack of representation from mainstream comparison multiples, indicating a clear deficiency in the town’s retail offer. Indeed, the ‘Fashion Count’ in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index indicates that Erdington achieves an overall ‘lower’ rating for fashion. This ‘lower’ rating reflects the absence in the town centre of the high profile retailers listed in Table 1 of Appendix 1. The only district centre to achieve a rating higher than this is Harborne which achieves a rating of ‘middle’.

1.160 There is no published data available on retail/service requirements for Erdington, however we contacted the agents acting for a range of operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Erdington as an investment location. Our research found that only W M Morrison have a requirement for Erdington.


1.161 Published time series data is only available for yields in Erdington and not rental values. Analysis of these figures indicates that Erdington has experienced a compression of yields. In 2001 average all risk yields were 9.5 per cent; the latest figures published in July 2008 demonstrate a compression of 0.25 per cent to 9 per cent. Whilst this is only a small decrease, it is an encouraging indication.


1.162 There were 34 vacant units in Erdington in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total retail and service units - of 14.78 per cent, which is notably higher than the UK average vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent. Nevertheless, our own land use audit of the centre revealed that most of the vacant units were dispersed evenly throughout the centre, with no large or prominent vacant units or any concentrations.

There are several vacant units which we consider represent the best opportunity for redevelopment of the town centre:


1.163 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Erdington town centre as a whole; however our own observations reveal that the town centre is largely busy, with slightly quieter areas only in peripheral areas of the centre.



Accessibility

1.164 Erdington Town Centre benefits from good public transport links, with a train station and a comprehensive bus service connecting Erdington to the city centre and surrounding centres within the city region. However the busy A5127 Sutton New Road which runs adjacent to the town centre detracts from the overall quality of the town centre environment..


1.165 The state of the town centre environmental quality in Erdington is somewhat mixed. Whilst for the most part, the centre feels particularly run-down, with several properties in need of upgrading and maintenance, the public realm is slightly improved towards the north of the centre, with some evidence of lighting, public seating areas and an ornamental fountain.

Summary of the Performance of Erdington Town Centre

1.166 Erdington Town Centre remains relatively busy and we have identified several indicators of stability in the town centre, namely; the centre’s high ranking in the MHE 2008 Shopping Index; the healthy convenience offer; the increasing amount of A1 retail floorspace and the compressing yields.

1.167 Nevertheless, a small number of the key indicators of vitality and viability suggest that there is scope for the improvement of Erdington Town Centre. Most importantly, we identified that the comparison offer in Erdington is slightly limited, especially in terms of representation from high-street clothing multiples. Moreover, we also identified a particularly high vacancy rate in the centre. To prevent the onset of decline in the town centre, it would be sensible to ensure that both of these negative indicators are addressed.

Kings Heath District Centre


1.168 Table 1 of Appendix 1 shows that Kings Heath Town Centre currently ranks 322nd in the MHE 2008 Shopping Index. Between 2000/01 and 2003/04, the centre showed a slight improvement in its position, climbing 30 places from 292nd to 262nd. Overall however, since 1995/96, the centre has experienced a fall of 26 places. Nevertheless, the overall slippage of 26 places since 1995/96 is less severe than other district centres ranked by MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index; Erdington fell 71 places in the same period whilst Acocks Green fell by as much as 133.

1.169 As we have previously noted, the MHE 2008 Shopping Index can be a rather blunt tool when assessing the ranking of a town centre as the Index does not take into account the presence of quality independent retailers in a town centre. Our land use audit carried out in November 2008 revealed the presence of several independent, niche comparison retailers in Kings Heath, and so when assessing the movement of the centre in the national retail rankings, one must be aware of the presence of such retailers.


1.170 Kings Heath Town Centre contained some 17 convenience outlets in November 2008 (Table 11 of Appendix 2); this equated to 6.09 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is notably lower than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. This is primarily due to under representation in all of the convenience sub-categories except for the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub-category. Indeed, the supermarket offer in Kings Heath is particularly healthy and consists of a Somerfield, Sainsbury’s and Lidl. The Somerfield and Sainsbury’s are both relatively large in scale, serving as anchors at either end of High Street. In addition, the presence of a Lidl foodstore ensures that the lower or value end of the convenience market is catered for. In this



context we consider that the convenience offer in Kings Heath is healthy, both in terms of the quality and the scale of the offer.

1.171 The proportion of total comparison uses in Kings Heath is slightly higher than the UK average of 45.32 per cent at 49.10 per cent. This is primarily due to much higher than average representation in the two comparison goods sub-categories of ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’ and ‘charity shops, pets and other comparison’. Many of the outlets in the four clothing subcategories cater for the middle, and more frequently, the lower end of the retail spectrum. Nevertheless, our on-foot land use audit of the centre revealed several smaller independent niche retailers off the main High Street; these cater for the middle and higher ends of the comparison market.

In addition to large, multipliers, there are several small, independent retailers in Kings Heath, boosting the comparison retail offer:

1.172 The 87 service outlets in Kings Heath account for 31.18 per cent of town centre units, which is slightly lower than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. The majority of the service outlets fall within the sub-category of ‘banks and financial service (incl. accountants)’, this was confirmed by our on-foot survey of the centre which revealed that in addition to representation from high street banks such as HSBC and NatWest, there was also a high proportion of retailers offering money services such as cheque cashing.

1.173 The only service sub-category which is significantly below the UK average is ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’. Such uses account for 11.47 per cent of total town centre units, which is notably below the UK average of 14.34 per cent. Indeed, whilst there are a high proportion of take-away outlets, it would appear that the centre is devoid of representation from higher quality national restaurants such as Pizza Express or Zizzi. Representation from operators such as this would help to bolster the town centre’s restaurant offer, which at present is dominated by lower quality take-away outlets.

1.174 According to the SOCD, Kings Heath contained 35,400 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace in 2004; this represents a decline of 7,300 sq.m since 2000. Despite this decrease in floorspace, Kings Heath still remains at the higher end of the scale when compared against the other district centres in Birmingham included in the SOCD.


1.175 Our on-foot survey of Kings Heath revealed that at present there is little scope to expand the town centre, with no substantial retail development opportunities evident in the centre. We also consider that there is unlikely to be demand for a substantial town centre development in Kings Heath and so an assessment of potential development opportunities is unnecessary. Our only recommendation is to focus resources on redevelopment or reoccupation of the 34 vacant units which currently exist in the centre.




1.176 As previously noted, Kings Heath has a broad offer in terms of convenience outlets, with representation from both ends of the retail spectrum. It would appear that Kings Heath is particularly weak in the fashion sector; indeed, all of the centre’s ‘fashion’ retailers are rated by MHE as either ‘middle’ (18.2 per cent), ‘lower middle’ (50 per cent) or ‘value’ (31.8 per cent). Consequently, Kings Heath attains an overall score of ‘lower’ for fashion in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index. This reflects a lack of representation from the high profile retailers listed in Table 5 of Appendix 1.

1.177 There is no published data available on retail/service requirements for Kings Heath, however we contacted the agents acting for a range of operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Kings Heath as an investment location. Our research found that only W M Morrison has a confirmed interest in acquiring floorspace in Kings Heath:

1.178 However we must emphasise that this search was not exhaustive and so should not be taken to imply that there is limited operator interest in Kings Heath, or indeed that interest is limited to those operators listed above.


1.179 Time series rental data is not published for Kings Heath however Table 4 of Appendix 1 confirms that prime yields in Kings Heath have compressed slightly from 8.50 per cent in April 2001, to 8.25 per cent in July 2008


1.180 Our on-foot land use audits which took place in November 2008 revealed 34 vacant units in Kings Heath Town Centre; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 12.19 per cent which is slightly higher than the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Our land use audit of the town centre revealed that there is a small concentration of vacant units located in the indoor market.


1.181 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Kings Heath town centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that the town centre has been busy with pedestrians whenever we have visited, particularly in the central areas, along High Street between Poplar Road and Drayton Road.

Accessibility

1.182 Accessibility to Kings Heath by bus is good, with frequent services to Birmingham City Centre and throughout the city region. When we visited the centre, the main road appeared particularly congested, with very slow moving traffic. Nevertheless there was no evidence of pedestrian/vehicle conflicts and parking did not seem to be a problem with several small car parks located along the length of the centre.


1.183 Kings Heath is a relatively clean and well maintained centre, particularly around the Vicarage Road and High Street junction where the public realm is enhanced through the presence of trees and the green landscaping surrounding the Church. Elsewhere in the centre there is evidence of street furniture such as benches and planters, all adding to the physical attractiveness of the centre.

Summary of the Performance of Kings Heath Town Centre

1.184 Kings Heath is a relatively busy and stable centre with a well maintained and pleasant town centre environment. The supermarket offer is healthy both numerically and in terms of the diversity of the offer. Although the centre has a limited comparison offer and a ‘lower’ rating for fashion, the offer is supplemented



by the presence of several higher quality independent retailers. In this context we consider that Kings Heath adequately meets the needs of local residents. The only indicator which raises concern is the higher than average vacancy rate.

Northfield District Centre


1.185 Table 1 of Appendix 1 shows that Northfield District Centre currently ranks 336th in the MHE 2008 Shopping Index. This represents a fall of 84 places since the centre was ranked 252nd in 1995/96. Nevertheless, whilst the centre has experienced a slip in its ranking, this is a relatively small drop in comparison to some of the other district centres; Sheldon fell 279 places, whilst Acocks Green fell by 133.


1.186 Northfield Town Centre contained 15 convenience outlets in November 2008 (Table 12 of Appendix 2); this equates to 11.03 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is above the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Indeed, whilst the convenience retail offer in Northfield primarily caters for the lower end of the retail spectrum with a Farmfoods, Iceland and Cooltrader, the presence of a large Sainsbury’s supermarket on the southern edge of the centre ensures a broader retail offer.

1.187 The comparison goods sector accounts for 58.82 per cent of the retail and service units in Northfield Town Centre. This is significantly higher than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. In actual fact, Northfield secures above average representation from all of the four important clothing sub-categories (‘footwear and repair’, ‘men’s and boy’s wear’, ‘women’s, girls, children’s clothing’ and ‘mixed and general clothing’). There is also particularly high representation from the ‘charity shops, pets and other comparison’ sub-category, with such uses accounting for 9.56 per cent of total town centre units, significantly higher than the UK average of 3.73 per cent.

1.188 The proportion of service outlets in Northfield is slightly higher than the UK average, with such uses accounting for 33.48 per cent of total town centre uses, compared to the UK average of 33.23 per cent (Table 12 of Appendix 2). Nevertheless, Northfield is significantly lacking in representation from the sub-category of ‘restaurants, cafés, coffee bars, fast food and take aways’ sub-category; whilst such uses account for 11.74 per cent of total units in Northfield, the UK average is 14.34 per cent. Our land use audit in November 2008 confirmed this; whilst we noted a high proportion of fast food and take away outlets, the town centre lacks representation from a good range of higher quality restaurants, coffee houses and family-oriented eating places.

1.189 The SOCD shows that in 2004, Northfield Town Centre contained 45,500 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace. Of the Birmingham district centres included in the SOCD, only one other centre – Erdington – contains more A1 retail floorspace (66,000 sq.m). This figure represents an increase of 5,100 sq.m since 2000.

The Potential Capacity for Growth of Change

1.190 Our on-foot survey of Northfield revealed that at present there is little scope to expand the town centre, with no significant development opportunities evident in the centre. We also consider that there is unlikely to be demand for a substantial town centre development in Northfield and so an assessment of potential development opportunities is unnecessary.

1.191 Our only recommendation is to focus resources on redevelopment or reoccupation of the12 vacant units which currently exist in the centre, particularly in the Northfield Shopping Centre which, when we visited, contained 6 vacant units.




1.192 Most of the multiple retailers present in Northfield Town Centre are within the middle, and more frequently lower end of the retail spectrum. As previously noted, Northfield’s convenience offer is primarily focused towards the discount market with operators such as Iceland and Farmfoods; nevertheless, the presence of a large Sainsbury’s in the centre ensures broader retailer representation.

1.193 Northfield has a small range of comparison retail multiples, including New Look, Peacocks and Clarks. However most of these are directed towards the lower and value market sectors. Indeed, the ‘Fashion Count’ in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index indicates that 16 per cent of Northfield’s ‘fashion’ retailers can be described as ‘middle’ order, 44 per cent as ‘lower-middle’ and 40 per cent as ‘value’. Thus Northfield attains an overall ‘lower’ rating for fashion. Of the district centres included in MHE’s 2008 Fashion Count, only one – Erdington – achieves a higher rating of ‘middle’. Northfield’s ‘lower’ ranking reflects the absence in the town centre of the high profile retailers listed in Table 1 of Appendix 1.

1.194 We contacted the agents acting for a range of majors retail and service operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Northfield as an investment location. Our research found that only W M Morrison has a confirmed interest in Northfield:

1.195 However we must emphasise that this search was not exhaustive and so should not be taken to imply that there is limited operator interest in Northfield or that interest is restricted to those operators listed above.


1.196 Time series rental data is not published for Northfield. Table 4 of Appendix 1 confirms that prime yields in Northfield have compressed slightly from 8.50 per cent in April 2001, to 8.25 per cent in July 2008; this is an encouraging indication.


1.197 Our on-foot land use audit which took place in November 2008 revealed 12 vacant units in Northfield Town Centre; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total units – of 8.82 per cent which is notably lower than the UK average of 11.07 per cent.

1.198 When we conducted our on-foot survey of the town centre we found that whilst there were no concentrations of vacancies around the town centre, there were 6 vacant units in the Northfield Shopping Centre. This is a worrying fact given the prominent location of some of these units within the shopping centre.


1.199 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Northfield Town Centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that the town centre has been busy with pedestrians whenever we have visited, particularly in the Northfield Shopping Centre.

Accessibility

1.200 Accessibility to Northfield by bus is good, with frequent services to Birmingham City Centre and other nearby centres within the city region. Parking is also well provided for, with a large car park at the Sainsbury’s supermarket and at the Northfield Shopping Centre.

1.201 Moreover, recent works undertaken along the A38 to form the Northfield Relief Road have reduced congestion along Bristol Road South which runs through the middle of the town centre. This has resulted in fewer pedestrian/vehicle conflicts along this stretch of road and has improved the overall quality of the town centre environment.




1.202 Overall Northfield seems a slightly ‘tired’ looking centre, with some evidence of graffiti on buildings, and the property offer seeming worn and in need of refurbishment. There was some evidence of street furniture, however again this looks slightly worn and in need of replacement or upgrading. Nevertheless, the interior of the Northfield Shopping Centre was modern and bright, with new benches and planters throughout. With this in mind, we consider it important to ensure that those areas outside of the Northfield Shopping Centre do not become secondary or neglected.

The Northfield Shopping Centre is a pleasant shopping environment; however the peripheral areas of the centre are slightly less well maintained:

Summary of the Performance of Northfield District Centre

1.203 In general, we conclude that Northfield is generally a vibrant and stable town centre. This is evidenced by: the centre’s healthy convenience and comparison offer; the large amount of A1 retail floorspace; the presence of several high street multiple operators; compressing yields; and a low vacancy rate. Nevertheless, we did feel that much of the comparison offer was focused towards the middle and more frequently the lower end of the market, indicating that the offer is slightly limited in diversity. Moreover, the centre lacks representation from higher quality, family oriented sit-down restaurants; representation from operators such as this would help to strengthen the quality of the offer in Northfield.

Sheldon District Centre


1.204 Table 1 in Appendix 1 demonstrates that whilst Sheldon experienced a slight improvement in its ranking of 39 places between 2000/01 and 2003/04, it has since fallen to a position of 694th, representing a fall of 80 places since 2000/01 and a fall of 279 places since 1995/96. This is the highest fall in the rankings since 1995/96 recorded by any of the district centres included in MHE’s Retail Index.


1.205 Sheldon contained 6 convenience outlets in November 2008 (Table 13 of Appendix 2); this equated to 10.91 per cent of the centre’s total units which is above the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Representation in the convenience sector is reasonably varied with operators such as Aldi (located on outskirts of the centre boundary provided by BCC), Iceland, Tesco and Co-op providing the main convenience offer in Sheldon Town Centre.



Aldi store under construction; open in October 2008:

1.206 In the comparison sector, Table 13 of Appendix 2 shows that Sheldon contains 28 non-food outlets, equating to 50.91 per cent of total units in the centre. This is slightly higher than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. However representation from ‘mainstream’ high street retailers is low, with such operators including Carphone Warehouse and Birthdays. There is also significant under representation in the four important clothing sub-categories, with operators in this sub-category accounting for only 3 units in the town centre (Timpsons, a wedding dress shop and QS clothing). The sub-categories in Sheldon Town Centre with the strongest levels of representation are ‘furniture, carpets and textiles’ and ‘cars, motorcycles and accessories’. These uses account for 9.09 per cent and 7.27 per cent of units respectively; both of these proportions are significantly higher than their respective UK averages.

1.207 Whilst undertaking our land use audit of the centre, we noted that Sheldon contains a large number of office uses. This adds to the diversity and vibrancy of a centre and helps ensure that it remains healthy with a wider economic base.

1.208 The property offer in Sheldon varies quite significantly in both size and quality. The Sheldon Shopping Centre offers smaller, purpose built units whilst on the opposite side of Coventry Road there are several larger units which cater for more ‘bulky’ retailers such as Halfords, Carpet Right and Dreams Bed Superstore. Further east along Coventry Road are older converted terraces with ground floor retail units and flats above. The diverse nature of the scale of the property offer in Sheldon has resulted in considerable under representation in some sub-categories and significant over representation in others, as noted in paragraph 1.146.

1.209 The proportion of service outlets in Sheldon Town Centre is slightly higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent, with such uses accounting for 34.55 per cent of units. Nevertheless, the two sub-categories of ‘restaurants, cafés, coffee bars, fast food and take aways’ and ‘hairdressers, beauty parlours and health centres’ are significantly under represented. Nevertheless, our on-foot land use audit of the town centre revealed that the town centre benefits from several family oriented restaurants such as ‘Toby Carvery’



Sheldon benefits from several family orientated restaurants:

1.210 The SOCD shows that in 2004, Sheldon contained 12,000 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace; this indicates no change since figures were first recorded in 2000. When compared to the other District Centres included in the SOCD, Sheldon comes in at the lower end of the scale, with centres such as Harborne and Perry Barr containing significantly more A1 retail floorspace (17,100 sq.m and 34,100 sq.m respectively).

1.211 The position is similar with regard to the amount of A3 food and drink floorspace in Sheldon; the 600 sq.m recorded by the SOCD in 2004 is the lowest of all the district centres included in the database.

The Potential Capacity for Growth of Change

1.212 Our on-foot survey of Sheldon revealed that the best opportunity for redevelopment or expansion of the centre is the Severn Trent site and adjoining Focus unit located along Coventry Road. Development on this site could provide the modern and more efficient units that Sheldon needs to attract national multiple retailers.

The Severn Trent site and adjoining Focus unit presents the best opportunity for development in Sheldon (n.b. boundary defined in red is estimated):




1.213 Most of the multiple retailers present in Sheldon Town Centre are within the middle, and more frequently, the lower end of the retail spectrum. Indeed, Sheldon’s representation of national convenience multiples is limited to Iceland, Aldi (located outside the centre boundary supplied by BCC) and a Co-operative supermarket, both of which are limited in scale and in the range of goods they offer.

1.214 The range of the comparison offer in Sheldon is equally as limited. Indeed, the ‘Fashion Count’ in MHE’s 2008 Index indicates that 16.7 per cent of Sheldon’s fashion outlets are classed as ‘middle’, 50 per cent as ‘lower-middle’ and 33.3 per cent as ‘value’. Subsequently, Sheldon achieves an overall score of ‘lower’ for its fashion offer. This is typical of the District Centres in Birmingham, with only Harborne achieving a higher score of ‘middle’.

1.215 Sheldon contains a typical range of banks, building societies and national travel agents, however as we have previously noted, the centre is devoid of any higher quality, sit-down restaurants. Representation from operators such as this could help to bolster the quality of the retail and service offer in Sheldon.


1.216 Time series rental data is not published for Sheldon; however Table 4 of Appendix 1 confirms that prime yields in Sheldon have compressed slightly from 10 per cent in April 2001, to 9.25 per cent in July 2008. This is an encouraging indication.


1.217 We identified 2 vacant units in Sheldon in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of just 3.77 per cent and is significantly lower than the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Only one of the vacant units was in a prominent location, in the Sheldon Shopping Centre.


1.218 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Sheldon Town Centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that the town centre has been busy with pedestrians whenever we have visited, particularly in and around the Sheldon Shopping Centre.

Accessibility

1.219 Accessibility to Sheldon Town Centre by car and public transport is good. The centre benefits from several bus stops with services running to and from Birmingham City Centre and the surrounding local centres. However, one issue we did notice whilst carrying out our land use audit was the high levels of congestion along the A45 Coventry Road, which runs directly through the centre. Consequently, the centre seems divided and not easily accessible for pedestrians.



The busy nature of the A45 Coventry Road detracts from the overall quality of the town centre environment:

1.220 Parking in the centre is limited to the Sheldon Shopping Centre pay and display and the spaces associated with the several large retail units along Coventry Road, the former being at capacity when we visited the centre in November.


1.221 The public realm within Sheldon Town Centre is of mixed environmental quality. Whilst the areas in and around the Sheldon Shopping Centre are reasonably well maintained, the peripheral areas, at either ends of Coventry Road, seem somewhat more unkempt; in these areas there was also evidence of litter and graffiti.

Summary of the Performance of Sheldon Town Centre

1.222 Most of the health check indicators suggest there is scope for the improvement of the performance of Sheldon Town Centre. Indeed, we found Sheldon to have a limited comparison retail offer, with few national multiple operators, and a retail and service offer which is generally focused towards the discount end of the market. As such, we consider that for the most part, Sheldon performs an essentially localised role, catering primarily for day-to-day local and ‘top-up’ shopping needs.

1.223 Nevertheless, despite the aforementioned deficiencies, Sheldon has a particularly low vacancy rate, benefits from a good convenience offer, has experienced a compression of yields since 2001 and is a generally busy centre. Thus we consider it essential that in order to prevent contraction or decline of the centre, the weaknesses that we have identified are reversed.

Performance Analyses – Smaller District Centres 1.224 There is limited published data available for the analysis of the performance of the

remaining smaller district centres. Consequently, the following assessments are based on discussions with local stakeholders and our own land use audits which were carried out in November 2008.

Selly Oak


1.225 Table 1of Appendix 1 shows that the ranking of Selly Oak Town Centre has fallen since 2003/04 by 196 places from 473rd to 669th in 2008. This is the second highest fall experienced by any of the Birmingham District Centres included in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index.




1.226 Our own land use audit carried out in November 2008 revealed that Selly Oak contains 9 convenience outlets; this equates to 10.98 per cent of total units in the centre and is marginally higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. However there is only representation from the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ and ‘off-licenses and home brew’ sub-categories. The centre’s main convenience offer is provided by a Sainsbury’s and an Aldi.

1.227 In the comparison sector, Table 14 of Appendix 2 shows that Selly Oak contains 23 non-food outlets, equating to 28.40 per cent of all units, which is significantly lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. Moreover, representation in the important clothing and footwear sub-categories is particularly low, with no offer from any national fashion retailers.

1.228 Conversely, the proportion of service outlets in Selly Oak is particularly high, with such uses accounting for a significant 58.02 per cent of total units in the town centre; this is notably higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent and is attributable to the high numbers of students that are located in the area. As a result of the student focused demographic of Selly Oak, there is high representation in both the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ and ‘estate agents and auctioneers’ sub categories, with the latter primarily comprising student letting agents.

1.229 Whilst service uses such as pubs and bars are excluded by GOAD from national analysis, our own land use audit of the centre revealed that Selly Oak contains a good number of pubs and bars; we counted four in total within the town centre, in addition to several located on the outskirts of the town centre boundary. For a town the size of Selly Oak, we consider this to be a sizeable amount.

1.230 Our on-foot audit of the town centre revealed that the property offer in Selly Oak varies significantly in terms of both scale and quality. The Battery Retail Park accommodates ‘bulky’ goods operators, such as Halfords, Homebase and PC World. Conversely, the core of the town centre is predominantly characterised by smaller and older converted retail units. The poor quality of some of these units is reflected in the fact that the centre contains no national multiple clothing retailers.

1.231 As we have previously mentioned, there is a high proportion of students living in Selly Oak, and thus much of the retail and service offer is aimed at this type of customer base. Indeed, in addition to the retail and service uses in Selly Oak which we have already discussed, the centre is located in close proximity to the Hospital and University of Birmingham. This adds to the diversity and vibrancy of the centre.

The nature of the property offer in Selly Oak varies in terms of both scale and quality:




1.232 Our on foot survey of Selly Oak revealed that there exists one substantial retail development opportunity. The site, located adjacent to Battery Retail Park, currently forms part of the plans for the relocation of the existing Sainsbury’s supermarket onto a nearby site as part of a mixed use development. The scheme will comprise an additional retail element, small office space, residential and leisure. Construction of Phase 1 is due to start on site in 2007, with the whole scheme to be completed by 2012.

1.233 The latest Birmingham Area Investment Prospectus (AIP) published by the City Council includes this site as a potential development opportunity. The site is split into two; the Birmingham Battery site and the Triangle. Both sites are located within the Selly Oak district centre boundary and 5km from the City Centre. The site will be accessed by the new Selly Oak road which is currently under construction. Together the sites total 13.38 ha.

1.234 The AIP states that both sites are in private ownership. The Birmingham Battery site is currently undeveloped and requires some remedial work whilst the Triangle site is currently occupied by a Sainsbury’s store which will relocate to Battery site once redevelopment is complete. Planning permission was granted for mixed use schemes on both sites in 2007.

1.235 We consider that redevelopment of both these sites presents the best opportunity for growth and change within Selly Oak, particularly given the lack of suitably sized, modern units within the town centre.


1.236 As noted in paragraph 1.191, the comparison offer in Selly Oak is severely limited, both in terms of the diversity of the offer and the quality. This could be attributable to a number of factors; particularly the lack of modern and suitable units and the student dominated population which results in long periods of time during which the centre is empty. Indeed, in the ‘Fashion Count’ of MHE’s 2008 Index, Selly Oak achieves an overall rating of ‘value’ for its fashion offer; this is the lowest score in the Index.


1.237 Our land use audit of the centre in November 2008 revealed that there are only 2 vacant units in Selly Oak Town Centre. This equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 2.44 per cent, which is significantly lower than the UK average of 11.07 per cent.


1.238 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in Selly Oak Town Centre as a whole. Nevertheless, our own observations reveal that the centre was moderately busy when we visited, with the majority of pedestrians appearing to be students. As our land use audits were carried out during the day, we would assume that during the evening the centre is busier, particularly due to the high proportion of pubs and bars present and the student dominated demographic.

Accessibility

1.239 Accessibility to Selly Oak by bus is particularly good, with services running to the city centre and centres within the city region. Selly Oak also benefits from a centrally located train station with frequent and direct services running to Birmingham City Centre, and a journey time of around 10 minutes. Moreover, our own observations confirmed that car parking is not a problem in Selly Oak; there appears to be sufficient combined capacity at the Battery Retail Park, Aldi and Sainsbury’s car parks.



1.240 The A38 Bristol Road which runs through the centre of Selly Oak is notably busy and congested, particularly at peak times. This not only detracts from the overall quality of the town centre environment, but also compromises accessibility to the centre by private vehicle. However, Birmingham City Council has recently received a grant from the Department of Transport to fund the widening and diversion of a portion of Bristol Road away from the town centre. These infrastructure works will ease congestion levels and help improve the quality of the town centre environment.


1.241 The public realm within Selly Oak Town Centre is generally low grade. Many units along Bristol Road are run-down and in need of modernization.. Our own observations reveal that many of the buildings have been damaged by graffiti, and the centre lacks street furniture and plantings which would help to enhance the atmoshphere of Selly Oak. Overall we thus consider that Selly Oak exudes a negative image and would benefit from further environmental enhancement.

Summary of the Performance of Selly Oak District Centre

1.242 Selly Oak has a reasonable convenience sector, but a much more limited non-food offer. Indeed, Selly Oak is increasingly becoming more of a service centre, as the town centre is dominated by service uses, particularly take-away outlets, pubs and lettings agencies. Whilst Selly Oak has a particularly low vacancy rate, there are indications that the centre is declining as a comparison retail destination. In particular we note that Selly Oak has experienced significant slippage in the national retail rankings, demonstrating the second highest fall experienced by any of the Birmingham District Centres included in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index.

1.243 Nevertheless, schemes in the development pipeline which include the relocation of Sainsbury’s current foodstore onto a new site as part of a mixed-use development will go some way to improving the vitality and viability of the centre, as well as broadening the comparison offer. Proposed infrastructure improvements to the A38 Bristol Road will also help to ease the congestion problems currently faced by the centre and will make the centre more accessible for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Harborne District Centre


1.244 Table 1 of Appendix 1 shows that Harborne Town Centre currently ranks 522nd in the MHE 2008 Shopping Index. Since 2000/01 the centre has dropped 25 places, this is the smallest fall recorded by any of the district centres included in the MHE Index. In 1995/96 Harborne ranked522nd, hence overall the centre has remained in the same position.


1.245 Harborne Town Centre contained some 13 convenience outlets in November 2008 (Table 15 of Appendix 2); this equates to 14.29 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is notably higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Moreover, not only is there representation from all 6 of the convenience sub-categories, but there is significantly higher than average representation from the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub-category. Such uses account for 7.69 per cent of total units in Harborne, which is notably higher than the UK average of 2.80 per cent. Indeed, the supermarket offer in Harborne is particularly healthy and consists of a Waitrose, Sainsbury’s Local, Marks and Spencer Simply Food and an Iceland; in this context we consider that the convenience offer in Harborne is healthy both in terms of scale and diversity.



The convenience offer in Harborne is focused at the higher end of the market:

1.246 The comparison offer in Harborne is seemingly not as healthy. The 41 comparison outlets in the centre equate to 45.05 per cent of total units (Table 15 of Appendix 2), and whilst this is only marginally lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent, there is no representation from the two important clothing sub-categories of ‘men’s and boy’s wear’ and ‘mixed and general clothing’. Moreover, there is no representation from any high street fashion retailers such as Burton, H&M or Topshop; the presence of retailers such as this would strengthen the quality of the comparison offer in Harborne.

1.247 The 30 service outlets in Harborne account for 32.97 per cent of town centre units, which is slightly lower than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. Nevertheless, our own observations confirm the presence of several high quality sit-down restaurants and coffee shops such as Café Rouge, Zizzi, Café Nero and several smaller independent restaurants. Harborne also contains a typical range of banks, building societies and national travel agents.

1.248 The only service use sub-category which is significantly under represented in Harborne is ‘hairdressers, beauty parlours & health centres’, such uses account for 1.09 per cent of total units in the centre, which is considerably lower than the UK average of 7.33 per cent.

1.249 The SOCD indicates that there was 17,100 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace in 2004. This demonstrates an increase of 2,300 sq.m since 2000. Of the 9 district centres included in the database, Harborne contains one of the lowest amounts of A1 retail floorspace, however as we have previously noted, the quality of this offer is particularly good, especially in terms of the centre’s convenience and service offer. The SOCD also indicates that Harborne contains a relatively large amount of A3 (food and drink) floorspace. In 2004, the centre contained a total of 1,900 sq.m of A3 floorspace; this is notably higher than most of the other district centres (for example Mere Green contained 900 sq.m and Saltley 1,300 sq.m).


1.250 There are 8 vacant units in Harborne, which represent the most appropriate development/re-occupation opportunities within the town centre, either individually or in conglomeration. We consider however that there is unlikely to be demand, nor do we consider there to be a necessity for a substantial retail development scheme in Harborne Town Centre. Hence an assessment of potential opportunities for town centre expansion is needless.


1.251 Harborne benefits from representation by four national supermarket retailers, operating at both ends of the retail spectrum. However, as we previously noted, there is a distinct lack of any national multiple clothing comparison retailers. Indeed, the ‘Fashion Count’ in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index indicates that Harborne



achieves an overall fashion rating of ‘middle’. Whilst this is the highest rating achieved by any of the district centres included in the ‘Fashion Count’, we consider that the centre would benefit from the presence of several high-street fashion retailers. This would further bolster the quality of the offer in Harborne.

1.252 There is no published data available on retail/ service requirements for Harborne, thus in order to get a better idea of the levels of operator interest in Harborne, we contacted the agents acting for a range of comparison and convenience operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Harborne as an investment location. In addition to the convenience operators listed in Table 1.1, our research found that Argos also has a confirmed interest in acquiring space in Harborne.


1.253 Table 15 of Appendix 2 confirms that there were 7 vacant units in Harborne in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 6.59 per cent. This is notably lower than the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Our own land use audit carried out in November 2008 confirmed that none of the vacant units are located in prominent positions, nor are there any concentrations of vacancies in the centre.


1.254 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Harborne Town Centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that on the occasions we have visited the town centre, it has been busy with pedestrians.

Accessibility

1.255 Accessibility to Harborne by car and bus is good with services to the city centre and surrounding local centres. We did note however that parking in the centre is limited, and the main road running through the centre is busy with through traffic thus detracting slightly from the quality of the town centre environment.


1.256 The public realm within Harborne Town Centre is of good quality. The centre is well maintained, benefits from seating and planting along the main pedestrian routes and the external condition of most buildings is generally good.

Summary of the Performance of Harborne District Centre

1.257 Overall we conclude that Harborne is a generally pleasant, vibrant and stable town centre. This is evidenced by: the centre’s relatively stable ranking in the MHE Index since 2000/01; the town centre’s especially healthy convenience offer; the good range of eating and drinking establishments; and the low vacancy rate.

1.258 Nevertheless, we do consider that the comparison offer in Harborne is slightly limited with no representation from any high-street fashion multiples and much of the comparison offer focused towards the middle and sometimes the lower end of the market. We therefore suggest that the town centre could benefit with representation from several higher quality comparison multiples; this would help to strengthen the diversity of the offer in Harborne and help it capture the significant spending power of the local affluent catchment.

Edgbaston (Five Ways)


1.259 Table 1 of Appendix 1 shows Edgbaston has improved its ranking by 310 places since 2000/01 to a position of 1,139th in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index. Whilst this is a relatively low ranking, Edgbaston was the only district centre included in the MHE



2008 Shopping Index to not experience a drop in its position. Nevertheless, since the publication of the 2008 Index, Edgbaston Shopping Centre has been demolished to make way for the a new retail led scheme; thus caution should be taken when assessing the movement of Edgbaston’s in the rankings and when comparing it against other centres in the Birmingham city region.


1.260 Table 16 of Appendix 2 shows that the 5 convenience outlets in Edgbaston Town Centre at November 2008 equated to 13.51 per cent of the total units, which is higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. However, not all convenience sub-categories are represented and there is a qualitative gap in the offer which arises as a result of the fact that the main supermarket provision in the town centre is limited to a Tesco foodstore.

1.261 The comparison goods sector accounts for 21.62 per cent of the retail and service units in Edgbaston town centre; this is significantly lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. Moreover, Edgbaston does not secure representation from all of the comparison sub categories, most notably the four important clothing sub-categories, of which there is only representation in the ‘women’s, girl’s, children’s clothing’ sub-category and no representation from any national multiple fashion retailers.

1.262 The 15 service outlets in Edgbaston account for 40.54 per cent of the total retail and service units in the town centre. This is notably higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent and is attributable to high number of fast food and take-away outlets and uses within the ‘hairdressers, beauty parlours and health centres’ sub-category (10.81 per cent) and the ‘banks and financial services (incl. accountants)’ sub-category. We also note that Edgbaston is characterised by a large number of hotel and offices uses; this helps to make the centre more diverse and vibrant.


1.263 Our on foot survey of Edgbaston Town Centre reveals that there exist two substantial retail development opportunities; the large vacant site located to the north of Harborne Road at Five Ways island and redevelopment of the Five Ways Shopping Centre itself.

1.264 The first site, located to the north of Harborne Road, is the former location of the Edgbaston Shopping Centre, demolished in 2008 to make way for a new mixed use development on site. Developer Calthorpe Estates has been granted full planning consent for a 39,500 sq,m scheme on the site comprising:

4,800 sq.m foodstore;

5,300 sq.m of comparison retail and leisure;

15,000 sq.m of Grade A office accommodation;

2 hotels; and

800 car parking spaces.



The site of the former Edgbaston Shopping Centre is currently in use as a surface car park:

1.265 Redevelopment of the former Edgbaston Shopping Centre represents the largest regeneration project of a principal gateway to Birmingham City Centre; thus we consider that this project will deliver the step change needed to halt the decline of Edgbaston Town Centre. Development is due to commence on site at the end of 2008, with the scheme due for completion in phases from 2010.

1.266 However, discussions with local stakeholders reveal that construction on site has been stalled. Original plans relied on the scheme being anchored by a large convenience retailer; however given the current uncertain economic climate, and in light of nearby foodstore commitments which have made it difficult to secure a convenience anchor tenant at Edgbaston Galleries, the scheme has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.

1.267 The second development opportunity we identified was redevelopment of the dated Five Ways Shopping Centre and the adjoining Auchinlek House. Strategically located at one of the key gateways to the city centre, Five Ways in its current condition detracts from the quality of the environment of the centre and is in drastic need of updating if it is to appeal to the needs of the modern, high street retailers which Edgbaston presently lacks.


1.268 Representation from convenience and comparison multiples in Edgbaston is limited to a Tesco supermarket and a Boots chemist. However, once development of Edgbaston Galleries is finally completed, this will provide the town centre with the more modern and efficient units that appeal to major national retailers.

1.269 The level of demand in a centre is always influenced by whether any new development is planned; hence the proposed Edgbaston Galleries scheme should create a noticeable increase in the number of requirements listed for the centre.




1.270 There were 9 vacant units in Edgbaston Town centre in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total retail units – of 21.62 per cent which is almost twice the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Our land use audit of the town centre revealed that the majority of these units were concentrated in the Five Ways Shopping Centre, further emphasising the need for the shopping centre to be refurbished and bought up to modern standards.


1.271 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian flow counts that have recently been undertaken in Edgbaston Town Centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that the town centre was particularly quiet when we visited.

Accessibility

1.272 Accessibility to Edgbaston by car and bus is good; the area is well served by frequent services and main bus routes which provide access to the city centre and surrounding local centres. Five Ways railway station is also nearby, and provides services throughout the city region as well as a direct route to Birmingham New Street station. Moreover, the planned extension of the Midland Metro Line will link Snow Hill station in Birmingham City Centre to Edgbaston (Five Ways).


1.273 The state of the public realm within Edgbaston is of mixed quality. Whilst we note that the underpass at the Five Ways Island is especially well maintained, with areas of soft landscaping, benches and a large public sculpture, the areas in and around the Five Ways Shopping Centre are neglected and run down, and the building itself is dirty with graffiti adorning most walls.

The town centre environment in Edgbaston is of mixed quality:

Summary of the Performance of Edgbaston Town Centre

1.274 Whilst Edgbaston was the only centre in MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index to improve its ranking our own observations and assessment of the town centre indicate that the centre is currently in a state of decline. Indeed, we found Edgbaston to have a limited convenience offer, an especially limited comparison offer with only 2 multiples and limited representation from service operators. Moreover, the vacancy rate for the centre is almost twice that of the UK national average.

1.275 However, several major development proposals are in the pipeline for Edgbaston, most notably Edgbaston Galleries. This scheme will be the replacement for the Edgbaston Shopping Centre which was demolished in 2008. Despite delays in negotiations for an anchor tenant, once the scheme is underway and completed it



will be a considerable boost to the vitality and viability of Edgbaston Town Centre and will provide the step change needed to halt the decline of Edgbaston.

Mere Green District Centre


1.276 In MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index, Mere Green ranked 5,720th; this is the lowest ranking of any of the District Centres included in the Index. However it is important to emphasise that the MHE Index is based on the presence of national multiple outlets, with no credit given for the presence of independent operators. This, analysis of a centre’s movement in the national retail rankings can be a rather blunt tool; indeed, our land use audit of the centre revealed the existence of a number of high quality independent retailers.


1.277 Mere Green town centre contained 6 convenience outlets in November 2008 (Table 17 of Appendix 2); this equated to 7.32 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is below the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Moreover, there is no representation from the three convenience sub-categories of ‘bakers’, ‘greengrocers and fishmongers’ or ‘confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents’ . Nevertheless, Mere Green does benefit from a good range of convenience stores, including a Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Somerfield and an independent butcher. In this context, we consider that Mere Green has a reasonably healthy convenience offer.

1.278 Table 17 of Appendix 2 shows that Mere Green contains 27 non food outlets, equating to 32.93 per cent of total units. Again this is below the UK average of 45.32 per cent. This is attributable to weak representation in the four important clothing sub-categories. Nevertheless, Mere Green does benefit from a range of smaller, quality independent operators, offering goods in the sub-categories of ‘booksellers, arts/crafts, stationers/copy bureaux’ and ‘charity shops, pets and other comparison’.

1.279 The 34 service outlets in Mere Green account for 41.46 per cent of total retail and service units; this is above the UK average of 33.23 per cent and is attributable to the higher than average levels of representation in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take aways’ and ‘hairdressers, beauty parlours and health centres’ sub-categories. Indeed, the centre contains a number of quality sit-down restaurants, both national and independent, including a Loch Fyne fish and seafood restaurant. Mere Green also benefits from a typical range of banks, building societies, estate agents and travel agents.

1.280 According to the SOCD, Mere Green Town Centre contained 10,800 sq.m of A1 retail floorspace in 2004. This demonstrates an increase of 1,800 sq.m since 2000. In 2004, the centre also contained 900 sq.m of A3 food and drink floorspace.


1.281 Our on-foot survey of Mere Green revealed that at present there is little scope to expand the town centre, especially given that there is already a substantial amount of new retail floorspace in the development pipeline. We thus consider that there is unlikely to be demand for any additional town centre development and so further assessment of potential development opportunities is unnecessary.

1.282 As noted in the previous paragraph, there is currently a substantial amount of new retail floorspace in the development pipeline. The £50m Spring Urban Regeneration’s plans to develop Mere Green include 27 retail units, three restaurants, 152 apartments and a multi-deck car park. Existing shops on the site will be demolished to make way for the scheme, hence the high proportion of vacancies we noted on the site when we carried out our land use audit in November 2008.



1.283 Work was scheduled to commence in spring of 2008, with completion due in 2010. However, when we visited the site we found no evidence of construction having started; indeed, we are aware of plans to temporarily re-let some of the vacant units on site, thus delaying construction even further. Indeed, we consider that given the current economic climate, it is unlikely that this scheme will go ahead in the immediate future.

At present, this town centre site represents the best opportunity for growth of Mere Green:


1.284 Mere Green has some representation from national multiple retailers, particularly in the convenience sector, with such operators including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Somerfield. Conversely, there is below average representation in the comparison sector, particularly in the four clothing sub-categories. Nevertheless, the proposed redevelopment of a three acre site in the town centre to provide 27 modern retail units should provide the necessary accommodation to secure representation from higher quality fashion and high street retailers.

1.285 The level of demand in a centre is always influenced by whether any new development is planned; hence the proposed scheme in Mere Green should create a noticeable increase in the number of requirements listed for the centre.


1.286 There were 14 vacant units in Mere Green in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 17.07 per cent which is significantly higher than the UK average of 11.07 per cent. However, as we have previously noted, the majority of these units have been vacated in order to make way for the demolition and redevelopment of part of the town centre for a comprehensive mixed use scheme. Subsequently, this notably high vacancy rate should not be seen as a wider indication of decline within Mere Green.


1.287 We are not aware of any pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in Mere Green Town Centre as a whole. However we found that the centre was generally busy when we visited.

Accessibility

1.288 Accessibility to Mere Green by car and bus is generally good with no apparent traffic issues or incidences of pedestrian/vehicle conflict. We did note however that there are limited car parking facilities in the centre. Indeed, when we visited the centre, the main car park was at capacity.




1.289 The public realm in Mere Green is particularly well maintained and attractive, with planting throughout, areas of soft landscaping and several areas of public seating. This enhances the overall quality of the town centre environment.

Summary of the Performance of Mere Green Town Centre

1.290 Overall we conclude that Mere Green is a generally attractive, vibrant and stable town centre. This is evidenced by: the centre’s healthy convenience retail offer; strong service representation; the good range of specialist shops and independent retailers and; the high quality of the town centre environment. Whilst our land use audit of the centre revealed that the centre has a higher than average vacancy rate, this is attributable to units having been vacated to make way for the demolition and redevelopment of part of the town centre. Indeed, the £50m Spring Urban Regeneration’s plans to redevelop the town centre will further improve the vitality and viability of the town centre; provision of more modern and efficient retail units will also help to attract higher profile comparison multiples, thus enabling Mere Green to retain the significant spending power of its local catchment.

New Oscott District Centre


1.291 In MHE’s 2008 Shopping Index, New Oscott ranked 2,608th, this is the second lowest ranking of any of the District Centres included in MHE’s Index.


1.292 New Oscott Town Centre contained 6 convenience outlets in November 2008, this equates to 9.84 per cent of total retail and service units, which is marginally higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. In particular we note that there is strong representation from the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub category both numerically (4 units) and in terms of the proportion of total units in the centre (6.56 per cent, significantly higher than the UK average of 2.80 per cent). Moreover, the convenience offer caters for both ends of the retail spectrum, with representation from operators such as Tesco, Marks and Spencer Simply Food and Lidl. In this context, we consider that New Oscott has a healthy convenience offer.

1.293 Table 18 of Appendix 2 shows that New Oscott contains 26 non food outlets, equating to 42.62 per cent of total retail and service units, which is lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. Indeed, there is significant under representation in the four important clothing sub categories, with such uses accounting for only 2 units in the town centre and no representation from multiple fashion retailers.

1.294 On the other hand, there are several sub-categories with notably high levels of representation in New Oscott, namely; ‘DIY, hardware and household goods’, ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’ and ‘furniture, carpets and textiles’. This is mostly attributable to the large and modern purpose built units available in the town centre which cater for the requirements of ‘bulky’ goods retailers such as Currys, Homebase and Multiyork.

1.295 The 19 service outlets in New Oscott account for 31.15 per cent of total retail and service units in the centre. This is slightly below the UK average of 33.23 per cent and is attributable to the failure of the town centre to secure representation from operators in the two subcategories of ‘building societies’ and ‘estate agents and auctioneers’.

1.296 Whilst there are strong levels of representation from retailers operating in the ‘restaurants, coffee bars, café’s, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category, our own land use audit of the centre revealed that the majority of these units are lower quality take-away and fast food outlets, demonstrating a distinct shortage of higher quality, family oriented sit down restaurants.




1.297 Our visit to New Oscott revealed that there is one significant retail development opportunity in the town centre. The site, located opposite the Lidl foodstore on Kings Road and shown bounded by the red line below, is in a prominent location at one of the main gateways to the town centre. Our own observations indicate that the large, now vacant unit which makes up the majority of the site is the former location of a car garage/showroom and is being marketed for similar uses.

1.298 However should the site not receive any interest from occupiers in its current state, we recommend that it be considered for redevelopment for alternative uses, particularly as the existing unit on the site is, in our opinion, neither attractive nor in good condition. Such alternative uses could include several smaller, modern and more efficient retail units which would appeal to national retailers and which could subsequently help to address the deficit of important clothing retailers in New Oscott.


1.299 New Oscott secures representation from a wide range of convenience operators but a slightly more limited range of comparison retailers. Of most concern are the low levels of representation from the four important clothing sub-categories. Indeed, there is no representation from any multiple fashion retailers in New Oscott

1.300 There is no published data available on retail/ service requirements for New Oscott, however we contacted the agents acting for a range of major comparison and convenience operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in New Oscott as an investment location. Our research found that in addition to the convenience operators listed in Table 1.1, Argos also has a confirmed interest in acquiring space in New Oscott.


1.301 There were 10 vacant units in New Oscott Town Centre in November 2008, this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 16.13 per cent. This is notably higher than the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Our land use audit of the town centre revealed that the majority of the vacancies were to be found amongst the older and smaller converted properties rather than the more modern, larger purpose built units.


1.302 We are not aware of any pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in New Oscott Town Centre as a whole. Our own observations reveal that the density of pedestrian flows in and around the town centre are varied. The busiest areas are located in the core of the town centre, around the Tesco supermarket and the retail park to the north of the town centre, whilst the peripheral areas, along the B4149 Kings Road, seem somewhat quieter.



Accessibility

1.303 Accessibility to and from New Oscott by public transport is good. The centre benefits from frequent bus services to the city centre and other nearby centres such as Sutton Coldfield and West Bromwich. However, the junction located in the core of the town centre is particularly busy; this creates incidences of pedestrian/vehicle conflict and detracts from the overall quality of the town centre environment.


1.304 The public realm in New Oscott is generally well maintained, clean and tidy. Nevertheless, we did feel that the centre could benefit from some improvement through the use of benches, planters or areas of soft landscaping; this would help to further improve the state of the town centre environmental quality. Moreover, some of the buildings along the B4149 Kings Road appear slightly run-down and in need of refurbishment. Small improvements to the public realm such as these often reap disproportionate benefits, and significantly improve the attractiveness of the shopping environment.

Summary of the Performance of New Oscott Town Centre

1.305 New Oscott has a reasonably healthy convenience offer, but a much more limited non-food offer. In particular we note that: there is significant under-representation from the four important clothing sub-categories; no representation whatsoever from any fashion multiples, and; a particularly high vacancy rate. Our assessment of the centre also revealed that the service sector in New Oscott is particularly weak, with the majority of such uses comprising lower quality fast-food and take-away outlets. In this context we consider that there is a requirement to upgrade the existing stock of dated retail units to provide more efficient and modern facilities which would attract higher quality multiple retailers.

Saltley (Alum Rock Road) District Centre


1.306 Saltley contained 9 convenience outlets in November 2008 (Table 19 of Appendix 2); this equates to 7.89 per cent of the centre’s total units, which is below the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Moreover, there is no representation from any national multiple convenience retailers with only 2 units in the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub-category. In this context we consider that the convenience offer in Saltley is lacking in terms of both the scale and the quality of the offer.

1.307 Table 19 of Appendix 2 also shows that Saltley contained 74 comparison outlets in November 2008. This is equates to 64.91 per cent of total retail and service units, which is considerably higher than the UK average of 45.32 per cent and is attributable to significantly higher than average representation in the ‘mixed and general clothing’ sub-category. Such uses account for 21.93 per cent of total units (the UK average is 3.38 per cent). However despite higher than average representation in this subcategory, there are no multiple fashion retailers in Saltley. This is primarily because the majority of the clothing offer in Saltley is aimed at the predominantly Asian community that live in the area; as such we consider that there is little or no demand for multiple fashion retailers.

1.308 In addition to strong representation in the clothing sub-categories, Saltley also has above average levels of representation from the sub-categories of ‘furniture, carpets and textiles’, ‘chemists, toiletries and opticians’, ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’ and ‘jewelers, clocks and repair’. In contrast, there is no representation from the ‘gifts, china, glass and leather goods’, ‘florists and gardens’ and ‘sports, cycles, toys and hobbies’ sub-categories.

1.309 The 23 service outlets in Saltley account for 20.18 per cent of total retail and service units. This is notably lower than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. Indeed, our



land use audit of the town centre revealed that the only comparison sub-category with higher than average representation in Saltley is ‘travel agents’. Moreover, there is no representation whatsoever from the two sub-categories of ‘laundries and drycleaners’ and ‘building societies’.

1.310 As previously noted, the vast majority of the retail and service offer in Saltley caters for the town centre’s predominantly Asian catchment. Subsequently there are few multiple comparison operators; rather, the offer is characterised by smaller, Asian owned, independent, niche retailers.

1.311 According to the SOCD, in 2004 Saltley contained 11,600 sq,m of A1 retail floorspace; since 2000, this represents a decrease of some 500 sq.m. The centre also contained 1,300 sq.m of A3 food and drink floorspace; these floorspace figures are average for a centre the size of Saltley.


1.312 Whilst we have identified that there is little representation from national multiple retailers in Saltley Town Centre, we consider that there is unlikely to be demand for such operators due to the predominantly Asian population of the area. Rather the demand is primarily for smaller, independent retailers who cater for the requirements of the ethnic population of the area. Indeed, discussions with local stakeholders indicate that there is demand from existing retail operators for space to expand their premises in Saltley.


1.313 Table 19 of Appendix 2 shows that there were 8 vacant units in Saltley in November 2008, this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the total proportion of units – of 7.02 per cent which is comfortably below the UK average of 11.07 per cent. Moreover, our land use audit revealed that there were no apparent concentrations of vacant units, nor were any of the vacant units in prominent positions. We consider this to be a healthy indication.


1.314 We are not aware of any pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in Saltley Town Centre as a whole. However our own observations reveal that the town centre is generally very busy. Indeed, discussions with local stakeholders indicate that Saltley is extremely popular with visitors from outside of the Birmingham City region, with people arriving on coach visits from nearby cities such as Leicester.

Accessibility

1.315 When we visited the centre we found Alum Rock Road, and those branching off it, to be particularly busy and congested. Moreover, it was especially difficult to find suitable parking within the town centre.

1.316 Nevertheless, accessibility to the centre by public transport is vastly improved; there are frequent bus services to the City Centre, and surrounding centres within the city region and the town centre is served by Adderley Park railway station.


1.317 The state of the public realm within Saltley is particularly poor. There is litter in the streets, graffiti on many of the walls and many of the buildings appear to be in a poor state of neglect. Moreover, there is no evidence of efforts to enhance the state of the town centre environment through the use of public seating, planters or other similar environmental improvements.



The state of the town centre environment in Saltley is poor:

Summary of the Performance of Saltley Town Centre

1.318 Our own assessment of the town centre reveals that: the state of the town centre environment is poor; the convenience offer is weak and lacking both numerically and in terms of the quality of the offer and; whilst there are strong levels of representation from comparison operators, much of this offer is aimed at the predominantly Asian population of the area. As a consequence, there are few national multiples and much of the offer is focused on providing specialist Asian and ethnic goods and clothing.

1.319 Nevertheless, on a more positive note, the centre is busy and vibrant, drawing visitors from a wide catchment area, beyond the immediate Birmingham city region. This is primarily due to the wide range of speciality Asian goods on offer in the centre. Saltley also has a notably low vacancy rate, and there is evidence of demand from existing operators to expand their current premises in the centre. This indicates that, despite its deficiencies, Saltley is a fairly stable centre, and whilst it is devoid of representation from national multiple retailers, we consider this is not a negative indicator. Nevertheless, we do feel that Saltley would benefit from environmental improvements. At present the public realm is of a poor quality; simple enhancements of the town centre environment through the use of planters, public seating or soft landscaping could help to further improve the percieved health of the centre.

Small Heath District Centre


1.320 Table 20 of Appendix 2 confirms that the 15 convenience outlets in Small Heath in November 2008 equate to 16.13 per cent of total retail and service units in the centre, this is significantly higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent and is attributable to the high proportion of units in the ‘grocery and frozen foods’ sub-category. However, despite this, there is only one national convenience multiple in Small Heath; namely Morrison’s. Nevertheless, we note that there is also a large Asda store located in close proximity to the town centre. The remaining convenience outlets in Small Heath are independent, niche retailers catering for the town’s predominantly Asian catchment.



Small Heath is characterised by a wide range of small independent retailers which cater for the local BME community:

1.321 The 32 comparison outlets in Small Heath in November 2008 equate to 34.41 per cent of total units which is considerably lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. Indeed, Small Heath fails to secure representation from all of the comparison sub-sectors with no outlets in the ‘men’s and boy’s wear’, ‘florists and gardens’ and ‘sports, toys, cycles and hobbies’ sub-categories. The only comparison sub-categories with relatively healthy levels of representation in the town centre are ‘footwear and repair’, ‘mixed and general clothing’ and ‘variety, department and catalogue showrooms’. Our land use audit of Small Heath in November 2008 also revealed that there is a distinct shortage of multiple ‘fashion’ retailers located in the town centre.

1.322 However it is important to note that due to the large Asian population of Small Heath and surrounding areas, it unlikely that there exists any demand for multiple ‘fashion’ retailers, and as such we do not necessarily consider this absence an unhealthy indication.

1.323 Service outlets in Small Heath account for 33.33 per cent of total town centre retail and service uses, which is slightly higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. The ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category is particularly well represented numerically with such uses accounting for a total of 17 units in the town centre; this equates to 18.28 per cent of total retail and service units, which is notably higher than the UK average of 14.34 per cent. Our own observations also reveal that there is healthy representation from all other service sub-categories in Small Heath Town Centre.


1.324 Whilst we have identified that there is little representation from national, retail and service multiples in Small Heath Town Centre, we consider that there is unlikely to be demand for such operators due to the predominantly Asian population residing in the area. Rather, the demand is for small, independent, operators who cater for the needs of the town’s ethnic catchment..

1.325 There is no published data available on retail/ service requirements for Small Heath, however we contacted the agents acting for a range of comparison and convenience operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in Small Heath as an investment location; however none of the operators we contacted could confirm an interest for space in Small Heath.


1.326 Table 20 of Appendix 2 indicates that there were 11 vacant units in Small Heath Town Centre in November 2008; this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of units – of 11.83 per cent, which is slightly higher than the UK average vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent. Nevertheless, our own observations reveal



that there are no concentrations of vacant units in the centre, nor are any of the vacant units large or in prominent locations.


1.327 We are not aware of any pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in Small Heath Town Centre as a whole. However we found that the centre was generally busy whenever we visited.

Accessibility

1.328 Small Heath Town Centre is easy to access by car, although Coventry Road, which runs through the town centre, experiences high levels of congestion in peak times and is often busy with through traffic; this endangers pedestrians and divides the centre. Our own observations also reveal that parking facilities in the centre are limited.

1.329 Nevertheless, the centre benefits from several bus stops, with frequent services to the city centre and within the city region. Small Heath rail station is also within walking distance of the town centre.


1.330 When we visited Small Heath, we found that the condition of the town centre was generally very poor. Many of the buildings are low grade and badly maintained and vacant units are boarded up untidily, with graffiti and litter problems throughout. Moreover, there is no evidence of street furniture such as public benches or planters which would help to enhance the atmosphere of Small Heath. Overall we thus consider that Small Heath exudes a negative image and would benefit from significant environmental enhancement.

The state of the town centre environment in Small Heath is particularly poor:

Summary of the Performance of Small Heath Town Centre

1.331 To conclude, we note that whilst Small Heath has a reasonably healthy convenience offer, the non-food offer is limited both in terms of the quality and in terms of the levels of representation from comparison multiples. Nevertheless, we consider that there is unlikely to be high levels of demand for such operators due to the predominantly Asian population of the area. Given the nature of the catchment, Small Heath is dominated by independent and BME (Black and Ethnic Minority) retailers which cater adequately for local needs. Nevertheless, we note that the town centre is characterised by a high vacancy rate and an especially sub standard environmental quality in most parts and thus there is room for improvement in this centre.



Soho Road District Centre


1.332 Table 21 of Appendix 2 indicates that the 27 convenience units in Soho Road Town Centre in November 2008, equate to 16.27 per cent of total retail and service units. This is considerably higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent and is attributable to the high proportion of units in the two sub-categories of ‘greengrocers and fishmongers’ and ‘grocery and frozen foods’; the proportion of units in both of these sub-categories is 4.22 per cent and 4.82 per cent respectively, both of which are significantly higher than the UK averages for such uses. Moreover, in addition to several independent and specialist butchers and greengrocers, the centre also benefits from an Lidl supermarket and a smaller Iceland foodstore. Nevertheless, we note that most of the convenience units in Soho Road are small scale.

1.333 Comparison outlets in Soho Road account for 34.34 per cent of total retail and service units in the centre which is considerably lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent (Table 21 of Appendix 2). Indeed, there are a significant number of sub-categories in Soho Road from which there is no representation whatsoever, namely; ‘men’s and boy’s wear’, ‘women’s, girl’s and children’s clothing’, ‘gifts, china, glass and leather goods’, ‘cars, motorcycles and motor accessories’, ‘florists and gardens’ and ‘sports, toys, cycles and hobbies’. Nevertheless, Soho Road does benefit from healthy levels of representation in the ‘mixed and general clothing’ sub-category, with such uses accounting for 10.25 per cent of total retail and service units, which is significantly higher than the UK average of 3.38 per cent.

1.334 The majority of the retailers in Soho Road are small independent and BME retailers, offering specialist Asian clothing and food. Therefore whilst we are aware that the centre does not secure representation from any national ‘fashion’ retailers, we consider that there is little or no demand for such operators from the local population. Indeed, it is clear that Soho Road plays an important role as a destination for ethnic retailing, both for those resident in the local catchment and for visitors from further afield, bolstering the centre’s regional and national profile. Moreover, Soho Road is also the location of the Gurdwara Sikh Temple, which also attracts visitors from a wide catchment, thus adding to the vibrancy of the town centre.



Soho Road is characterised by a variety of small independent retailers which cater well for the local catchment:

1.335 Table 21 of Appendix 2 confirms that the 50 service outlets in Soho Road account for 30.12 per cent of total retail and service units, which is slightly below the UK average of 33.23 per cent. Nevertheless, there is representation from all of the service sub-categories, with particularly strong representation, both numerically and proportionally, in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category. In Soho Road there are 18 such uses, which equates to 10.84 per cent of total retail and service units; whilst this is below the UK average of 14.34 per cent, we emphasise that representation in this category is numerically strong. Our own observations also reveal that there are notably strong levels of representation from the two service sub-categories of ‘travel agents’ and ‘banks and financial services (incl. accountants)’.


1.336 Whilst we have identified that there is little representation from national, retail and service multiples in Soho Road, we consider that there is unlikely to be significant demand for such operators due to the largely Asian demographic of the area. Rather, the demand is primarily for smaller, independent operators who cater for the unique requirements of the local population.


1.337 Table 21 of Appendix 2 indicates that there were 27 vacant units in the town centre in November 2008. This equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total retail and service units - of 16.27 per cent which is significantly higher than the UK average vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent. Our land use audit of the town centre revealed that whilst most of the vacant units are evenly distributed throughout the centre the high vacancy rate in Soho Road is a rather unhealthy indication.


1.338 We are not aware of any pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in Soho Road Town Centre as a whole. However we found that the centre was especially busy and vibrant when we visited.



Accessibility

1.339 Our visit to the town centre revealed that the A41 Soho Road which runs through the centre of the town is somewhat busy and congested, especially at peak times. This compromises accessibility to the centre by private vehicle and endangers pedestrians. The centre also suffers from a lack of adequate parking facilities. Nevertheless, we are aware of plans to improve parking facilities at Baker Street; this would ease the congestion along Soho Road somewhat and thus improve the quality of the town centre environment.

1.340 Accessibility to Soho Road by public transport is much more convenient, with several bus stops located throughout the centre, all providing frequent services to the city centre and nearby local centres. Soho Road also benefits from nearby links to the Midland Metro, with the Soho Benson Road and Winson Green Outer Circle stops located within walking distance of the town centre.


1.341 As we have previously noted, the state of the town centre environmental quality in Soho Road is on the whole much improved as a result of the considerable amount of investment which has gone into the area in recent years, the centre is also characterised by a number of architecturally attractive buildings, however we do consider that some of these buildings could still benefit from improvements in order to ensure that the public realm in Soho Road is of a consistent high quality throughout.

Summary of the Performance of Soho Road Town Centre

1.342 Soho Road remains a busy and vibrant centre, with a comprehensive range of retailers offering specialist Asian goods. However we have identified that the convenience offer is generally focused towards the value or discount end of the market and the comparison offer is particularly weak and limited in terms of the quality and representation from multiples. Nevertheless, we consider that the centre adequately serves the needs of the local Asian population, and as such there is unlikely to be significant demand for such multiples. Moreover, the centre draws visitors from a wide catchment area, due its wide range of specialist BME retailers.

1.343 Soho Road is a long linear centre, interspersed with vacant units. We thus consider that the centre could possibly benefit from consolidation and intensification around a central core. Moreover, we note that the town centre is of particularly poor environmental quality; accordingly we advise that in order to prevent the town centre becoming neglected and run down, this high vacancy rate is addressed and enhancements are made to the public realm.

Stirchley District Centre


1.344 Table 22 of Appendix 2 confirms that the 11 convenience units in Stirchley Town Centre account for 6.92 per cent of total retail and service units, which is below the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Indeed, the main convenience offer in the town centre is provided by a Costcutter and a larger Co-operative foodstore, in addition to a couple of small, independent grocery stores. In this context we consider that the convenience offer in Stirchley is limited, in terms of the scale and the quality of the offer. Nevertheless, we are aware that there is a commitment for a new Tesco foodstore in Stirchley. This would address the deficiencies that we have identified in the convenience offer in Stirchley.

1.345 The proportion of comparison units in Stirchley Town Centre is also notably lower than the UK average; 35.85 per cent compared to the UK average of 45.32. Indeed, a number of sub-categories have no representation at all in the town centre, namely; ‘footwear and repair’, ‘women’s, girl’s and children’s clothing’ and ‘sports,



toys, cycles and hobbies’. Nevertheless, the town centre secures strong levels of representation from retailers offering ‘bulky’ goods; this is evidenced by the large purpose built units located on the edge of the town centre, occupied by retailers such as Magnet and Wickes.

1.346 Service units in Stirchley Town Centre account for 25.79 per cent of total retail and service units, which is below the UK average of 33.23 per cent (Table 22 of Appendix 2). Nevertheless, there is healthy representation in the sub-category of ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’; such uses account for 17.61 per cent of total retail and service units in Stirchley, which is above the UK average of 14.34 per cent. The majority of these operators are small, independently owned restaurant and take-away outlets. The town also benefits from a small range of national banks, travel agents and estate agents.


1.347 There is no published data available on retail/service requirements for Stirchley, however we contacted the agents acting for a range of comparison and convenience operators, with a view to establishing whether there is any wider interest in the centre as an investment location. Our research verified that, as listed in Table 1.1, both Asda and W M Morrison have a requirement for a foodstore in Stirchley.


1.348 Table 22 of Appendix 2 indicates that there were 50 vacant units in Stirchley Town Centre in November 2008, this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total retail and service units – of 31.45 per cent which is almost three times the average UK vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent; this is an especially worrying indication.


1.349 We are not aware of any pedestrian flow counts that have recently been carried out in Stirchley Town Centre as a whole. However we found that there was a very low flow of pedestrians in the centre when we visited, particularly on the edges of the centre. The only area which appeared to be relatively busy was in and around the Co-operative foodstore, although even this area still seemed rather quiet.

Accessibility

1.350 Public transport links to and from Stirchley are good, the town benefits from frequent bus routes to Birmingham and centres throughout the city region such as Selly Oak and Kings Heath. Bournville rail station, also located nearby has links to Redditch and Lichfield.


1.351 The public realm in Stirchley is fairly clean, however it does seem somewhat dated and in need of upgrading. As we have previously noted, many of the units are vacant which has a negative effect on the quality of the town centre environment. Moreover, there is little evidence efforts being made to enhance the quality of the town centre environment; the installation of planters, public seating or areas of soft landscaping would have a significant effect on improving the overall ambience of the town centre.

Summary of the Performance of Stirchley Town Centre

1.352 Our assessment of Stirchley indicates that the centre is performing particularly badly. Indeed, we found Stirchley to have a limited and contracting comparison retail sector, with particularly poor representation from clothing retailers. The town centre is also characterised by a weak convenience sector, low footfall, limited operator demand and a poor environmental quality in parts.



Vacancy rates in Stirchley are particularly high and the town centre environment is poor:

1.353 Stirchley is also dominated by a very high vacancy rate. Indeed, the proliferation of derelict property and vacant units dominates the town centre environment. In this context, we consider that the centre would benefit from consolidation and intensification around a central core. Vacant property could then be redeveloped for alternative, more viable uses and the town centre could be contracted to a more appropriate size.

Swan Yardley District Centre

1.354 The Swan Shopping Centre in Yardley is located on the busy A45 Coventry Road at its intersection with the A4040 Church Road. Previously the centre comprised a predominantly 1960’s shopping centre, with Bakerman House, a block of flats, situated above. The centre has now been demolished and the flats refurbished to make way for the redevelopment of the site.

The recently refurbished Bakerman House and Swan Shopping Centre:

1.355 Current uses in the remainder of the centre, the boundary of which extends along Coventry Road, are limited but include, inter alia, three small supermarkets (Farmfoods, Somerfield and Costcutter), a number of fast food take-away outlets, two health centres, a newsagent, a Post Office and several hairdressers.

1.356 On the 1 May 2008, Tesco were granted permission to demolish the existing Swan Shopping Centre (including 1568-1580 Coventry Road), the multi storey car park, the indoor market hall and all other associated buildings to make way for the construction of a new Tesco foodstore, 18 retail units (for use classes A1, A2 and A3), a new covered mall, a petrol filling station, offices, car parks and associated public realm improvements. To necessitate this scale of development, re-alignment of the A4040 Church Road will also be carried out. Construction is due to begin on site in early 2009, following the completion to the works on Bakerman House. The scheme is due for completion in November 2010.



1.357 As we have previously noted, the level of demand for any centre is always influenced by whether any new development is proposed; hence if a major new development scheme was to emerge, the number of requirements would be expected to show a noticeable increase. In light of this, we have contacted the agents of a number of major comparison and service operators with a view to establishing the firmness or otherwise of their clients interest in any of our study centres. Of these operators, both Peacocks and W M Morrison stated that they may have an interest in locating in Swan Yardley.

1.358 Taking into account the aforementioned, we consider it not necessarily useful to assess Swan Yardley against the PPS6 indicators as we have done so previously. Instead we consider that it would be prudent to assess the health of the centre once redevelopment has been completed in 2010.

Fox and Goose District Centre


1.359 Table 24 of Appendix 2 confirms that the 10 convenience outlets present in Fox and Goose Town Centre in November 2008 equate to 16.95 per cent of total retail and service uses, which is significantly higher than the UK average of 9.06 per cent. Indeed, the centre benefits from an Aldi, Farmfoods and Somerfield, in addition to several smaller independent butchers, bakers and greengrocers, and an approved scheme for a 65,000 sq.ft new Tesco foodstore. Thus we consider that the convenience offer in Fox and Goose more than adequately serves the needs of its local catchment.

1.360 Comparison uses in Fox and Goose account for 28.81 per cent of total retail and service units in the centre. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 45.32 per cent. Indeed, our land use audit of the centre revealed that Fox and Goose fails to secure representation from any of the following sub-categories: ‘men’s and boy’s wear’, ‘women’s, girl’s and children’s clothing’, ‘DIY, hardware and household goods’, ‘gifts, china, glass and leather goods’, ‘cars, motorcycles and motor accessories’, ‘sports, toys, cycles and hobbies’ and ‘jewelers, clocks and repair’. This is a significant proportion of comparison uses and indicates that there are large gaps in the retail offer in Fox and Goose. Moreover, there is no representation from any national multiple fashion retailers.

The retail offer in Fox and Goose is of a mixed scale and quality:

1.361 Table 24 of Appendix 2 shows that the 25 service outlets in Fox and Goose equate to 42.37 per cent of total retail and service units; this is higher than the UK average of 33.23 per cent. The centre secures representation from all of the service sub-categories, with particularly strong representation in the ‘restaurants, café’s, coffee bars, fast food and take-aways’ sub-category.

1.362 Our land use audit of the town centre and surrounding areas revealed that Stechford Retail Park is in close proximity to the centre of Fox and Goose. This out of town retail park caters for ‘bulky’ goods retailers with representation from a range



of comparison operators including Argos, JJB Sports, Matalan, Currys, Powerhouse and Rosebys.


1.363 Most of the multiple retailers present in Fox and Goose Town Centre are within the middle and more frequently, the lower end of the retail spectrum. Fox and Goose’s representation of national convenience multiples is limited to Aldi, Farmfoods and Somerfield, as well as outlets such as Greggs and a small number of independent grocers and butchers. The same is also true of the comparison offer in Fox and Goose; the centre contains no multiple fashion retailers and many of the comparison sub-categories are not represented at all.

1.364 Fox and Goose contains a typical range of banks, building societies and national travel agents, there is also representation from a number of national charity shops. However, as we have noted previously, the centre is devoid of range of higher quality family oriented sit-down restaurants such as ASK, Zizzi or Pizza Express. A selection of operators such as these, in addition to representation from national fashion multiples, would help to strengthen the quality of the offer in Fox and Goose.

1.365 Our research confirmed that there was limited operator interest in Fox and Goose, we consider that this could be attributable to the lack of suitably sized units in the town centre; in contrast space at Stechford Retail Park is modern with larger and more efficient units which cater to the needs of national multiple retailers.


1.366 There were 6 vacant units in Fox and Goose Town Centre in November 2008, this equates to a vacancy rate – as measured by the proportion of total retail and service units – of 10.17 per cent, which is slightly below the UK average vacancy rate of 11.07 per cent. Moreover, none of the vacant units were concentrated, nor were they large or located in prominent positions.


1.367 We are not aware of any formal pedestrian surveys that have been carried out in Fox and Goose as a whole. However our own observations reveal that the town centre is generally busy with pedestrians, particularly in the Fox and Goose Shopping Centre and in and around Aldi.

Accessibility

1.368 Fox and Goose has good public transport links, with frequent bus services to the city centre and centres in and around the city region. However, when we visited the centre we found it to be lacking in adequate parking facilities, with a limited number of spaces at the Fox and Goose Shopping Centre and Beaufort Park. Moreover, the busy B4114 Coleshill/ Fox and Goose Road running through the centre of the town is particularly busy with through traffic. This creates division throughout the centre and difficulties for pedestrians.


1.369 The overall quality of the town centre environment in Fox and Goose is poor. There is a lot of evidence of graffiti and litter and many of the buildings are in need of upgrading. Moreover, we feel that the town could benefit from improvements to the public realm through the use of planters and/or areas of public seating.

Summary of the Performance of Fox and Goose Town Centre

1.370 Fox and Goose is a relatively small town centre with a reasonable convenience offer and a low vacancy rate. Moreover the centre appears generally busy and has good links with the wider city region. The retail offer itself however is slightly limited in both its scale and diversity, with few comparison shops and an offer that is



generally focused on the discount-end of the market. Nevertheless, we do feel that Fox and Goose adequately meets the day-to-day needs of local residents.



Summary of Performance Analysis

Performance in Relation to Key PPS6 Indicators

Centre

Diversity of U

ses

Retailer Re

quirem

ents

Multip

le Retailer

Represen

tatio

n

Vacancy Ra

te

Footfall

Accessibility

Public Realm

OVER

ALL SUMMARY

OF

HEA

LTH

Birmingham City Centre 20

Sutton Coldfield 16

Acocks Green 18

Edgbaston 7

Erdington 14

Harborne 20

Kings Heath 16

Mere Green 19

New Oscott 8

Northfield 19

Perry Barr 18

Selly Oak 9

Sheldon 13

Stirchley 5

Swan Yardley 3

Fox and Goose 14

Specialist BME Centres

Diversity of U

ses

Footfall

Vacancy Ra

te

Accessibility

Presen

ce of Spe

cialist

Retailers

Public Realm

Ability to Cater fo

r BM

E Co

mmun

ity

OVER

ALL SUMMARY

OF

HEA

LTH

Small Heath 14

Soho Road 15

Saltley 15

Key to overall summary of health >19 Very healthy 16 - 18 Healthy but some room for improvement 11 - 15 Showing some signs of weakness 6 - 10 Showing significant signs of weakness; performs poorly <5 Very weak; performs poorly against most of the key indicators. Key to individual health indicators

3 Good/Improving 2 Moderate/Static 0 Poor/Declining

APPENDIX 1 PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS TABLES

Table 1: Retail Rankings

MHE Venue Location Grade MHE 2008

Fashion Market Position 2008

1995-96 Ranking

1998-99 Ranking

2000-01 Ranking

2003-04 Ranking

2008 Ranking Movement

1995-2008 Movement 2000-2008

Movement 2003-2008

Glasgow Major City Middle 1 1 1 1 2 -1 -1 -1 Birmingham Major City Upper-Middle 7 6 6 6 3 4 3 3 Manchester Major City Upper 2 3 3 2 4 -2 -1 -2 Nottingham Major City Upper-Middle 4 2 2 4 7 -3 -5 -3 Leeds Major City Middle 4 4 4 4 8 -4 -4 -4 Liverpool Major Regional Upper-Middle 14 13 13 14 10 4 3 4 Solihull Regional Upper-Middle 125 111 116 54 49 76 67 5 Wolverhampton Regional Lower 50 55 41 47 52 -2 -11 -5 Coventry Regional Middle 33 33 37 41 60 -27 -23 -19 Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) Regional Middle 69 54 49 61 77 -8 -28 -16 Walsall Regional Middle 84 69 72 82 99 -15 -27 -17 Nuneaton Regional Middle 161 168 170 138 103 58 67 35 Redditch Sub-Regional Lower 136 161 165 165 183 -47 -18 -18 Sutton Coldfield Sub-Regional Middle 135 134 141 161 194 -59 -53 -33 Cannock Major District Lower 415 307 282 313 245 170 37 68 Lichfield Major District Lower 352 253 263 257 249 103 14 8 West Bromwich Sub-Regional Value 200 205 202 207 261 -61 -59 -54 Tamworth Major District Lower 220 230 218 236 267 -47 -49 -31 Erdington Major District Lower 214 235 249 266 285 -71 -36 -19 Kings Heath Major District Lower 296 307 292 262 322 -26 -30 -60 Northfield Major District Lower 252 297 308 332 336 -84 -28 -4 Perry Barr One Stop* District Value - - - 374 399 - - -25 Dudley Major District Lower 208 235 249 301 424 -216 -175 -123 Harborne District Middle 522 540 497 452 522 0 -25 -70 Acocks Green District Lower 448 461 450 476 581 -133 -131 -105 Selly Oak Minor District Value - - _ 473 669 - - -196 Sheldon Minor District Lower 415 540 614 575 694 -279 -80 -119 Edgbaston Local _ - - _ 1,449 1,139 - - 310 Small Heath Local _ - - _ 1,063 1,420 - - -357 Stirchley _ _ - - _ _ 1,716 - - - Saltley _ _ - - _ _ 2,356 - - - Perry Barr* _ _ - - _ _ 2,467 - - - New Oscott _ _ - - _ _ 2,608 - - - Mere Green _ _ - - _ _ 5,720 - - -

Table 2: Focus Operator Requirements

Centre Apr 00 Oct 00 Apr 01 Oct 01 Apr 02 Oct 02 Apr 03 Oct-03 Apr-04 Oct 04 Apr 05 Oct 05 Apr 06 Oct 06 Apr 07 Oct 07 Jan-09

Glasgow 116 111 119 115 131 124 120 117 115 122 125 134 123 123 129 118 112 Birmingham 173 157 164 160 175 178 166 169 152 164 169 169 174 174 174 164 178 Manchester 157 139 139 152 162 166 162 168 161 167 174 185 181 186 185 170 181 Nottingham 159 145 153 156 180 174 165 184 179 187 199 204 172 163 166 162 125 Leeds 175 161 161 167 198 202 189 203 186 210 221 222 207 195 200 201 202 Liverpool 115 109 99 99 124 122 120 139 135 152 164 180 157 145 146 143 129 Solihull 81 81 77 78 84 86 90 96 96 106 111 116 104 100 99 93 68 Wolverhampton 63 56 53 62 69 67 70 70 66 73 72 74 74 71 62 61 37 Coventry 86 66 69 78 88 82 84 98 92 103 107 105 92 82 87 84 56 Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Walsall 36 38 38 36 34 35 42 47 46 50 49 47 46 45 43 39 23 Nuneaton 21 27 25 23 23 27 30 35 32 32 35 32 29 32 26 24 23 Redditch 32 36 36 32 36 35 37 48 50 52 55 52 50 52 48 48 32 Sutton Coldfield 64 59 55 50 52 57 52 58 55 65 63 75 63 55 50 47 33 Cannock 19 24 24 24 18 17 15 20 16 22 23 27 23 23 21 26 20 Lichfield 29 22 25 26 30 34 32 42 42 43 42 45 46 46 46 40 24 West Bromwich 21 22 19 19 16 19 25 24 21 25 23 29 28 35 32 30 18 Tamworth 27 31 36 26 32 38 38 42 37 38 36 37 36 37 35 40 23 Erdington - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Kings Heath - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Northfield - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dudley 28 25 25 28 28 30 31 31 27 35 33 37 39 40 40 37 22 Harborne - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Acocks Green - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Selly Oak - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sheldon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Edgbaston - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Small Heath - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Stirchley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Saltley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Perry Barr - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - New Oscott - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mere Green - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Table 3: Prime Zone A Retail Rents

Centre Jun-00 Jun-01 Jun-02 Jun-03 Jun-04 Jun-05 Jun-06 Jun-07 Jun-08 Glasgow 235.00 235.00 235.00 220.00 220.00 225.00 240.00 250.00 250.00 Birmingham 330.00 330.00 310.00 285.00 300.00 325.00 325.00 325.00 325.00 Manchester 300.00 280.00 280.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 Nottingham 210.00 225.00 225.00 225.00 225.00 230.00 240.00 245.00 250.00 Leeds 225.00 250.00 270.00 270.00 270.00 310.00 310.00 310.00 310.00 Liverpool 250.00 250.00 265.00 275.00 275.00 300.00 320.00 320.00 320.00 Solihull 190.00 200.00 200.00 200.00 200.00 205.00 210.00 210.00 210.00 Wolverhampton 130.00 120.00 125.00 130.00 135.00 135.00 135.00 135.00 130.00 Coventry 150.00 150.00 140.00 150.00 150.00 165.00 170.00 175.00 180.00 Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) - - - - - - - - - Walsall 135.00 125.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 100.00 120.00 Nuneaton 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 120.00 120.00 120.00 Redditch 110.00 110.00 110.00 110.00 110.00 115.00 115.00 115.00 115.00 Sutton Coldfield 125.00 125.00 125.00 125.00 125.00 125.00 125.00 130.00 135.00 Cannock 45.00 45.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 55.00 75.00 75.00 75.00 Lichfield - 65.00 70.00 70.00 70.00 85.00 85.00 95.00 95.00 West Bromwich 60.00 65.00 70.00 70.00 75.00 80.00 85.00 85.00 85.00 Tamworth 65.00 65.00 70.00 70.00 80.00 90.00 90.00 90.00 80.00 Erdington - - - - - - - - - Kings Heath - - - - - - - - - Northfield - - - - - - - - - Dudley 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 50.00 Harborne - - - - - - - - - Acocks Green - - - - - - - - - Selly Oak - - - - - - - - - Sheldon - - - - - - - - - Edgbaston - - - - - - - - - Small Heath - - - - - - - - - Stirchley - - - - - - - - - Saltley - - - - - - - - - Perry Barr - - - - - - - - - New Oscott - - - - - - - - - Mere Green - - - - - - - - -

NOTES Retail rents in £ per square foot

Table 4: Prime All Risk Yields

Centre 01/04/01 01/10/01 01/04/02 01/10/02 01/04/03 01/01/04 01/07/04 01/01/05 01/07/05 01/01/06 01/07/06 01/01/07 01/07/07 01/01/08 01/0708

Glasgow 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.25 4.25 4.25 4 4.25 4.5 Birmingham 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.75 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.50 4.75 5.25 Manchester 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.25 5.50 5.50 5.50 6.00 6.00 4.50 4.50 4.25 4.25 4.25 4.50 Nottingham 4.75 4.75 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.75 4.50 4.00 4.00 4.00 Leeds 5.00 5.00 5.75 5.75 5.50 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.50 4.50 4.25 4.25 4.75 Liverpool 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.80 5.00 5.25 Solihull 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.75 4.75 5.00 5.25 Wolverhampton 5.50 6.50 6.50 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 5.75 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.75 Coventry 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.25 5.50 Brierley Hill (Merry Hill) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Walsall 6.00 7.00 7.00 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 6.50 6.25 5.75 5.50 5.75 6.00 Nuneaton 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.25 6.25 5.75 5.75 6.00 6.25 Redditch 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 5.25 Sutton Coldfield 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 7.00 6.75 6.75 6.75 6.75 Cannock 8.00 8.00 8.25 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 8.00 7.00 6.75 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.75 Lichfield 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 6.50 6.50 6.50 6.00 6.00 6.25 West Bromwich 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.00 7.00 7.00 Tamworth 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.50 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 7.25 6.75 6.75 7.00 Erdington 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.25 9.00 9.00 Kings Heath 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.25 8.25 Northfield 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 9.50 10.00 >=10 >=10 9.50 9.25 9.00 9.00 Dudley 9.00 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.75 8.50 8.50 8.00 8.00 6.00 6.00 6.50 Harborne - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Acocks Green 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 9.00 8.75 8.75 Selly Oak - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sheldon 10.00 10.00 >=10 >=10 >=10 >=10 >=10 >=10 >=10 >=10 >=10 9.75 9.50 9.25 9.25 Edgbaston - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Small Heath - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Stirchley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Saltley - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Perry Barr - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - New Oscott - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mere Green - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

APPENDIX 2 DIVERSITY OF USES TABLES

Table 6: Goad Diversity of Uses: Birmingham City Centre. Survey Date – November 2008

Goad Code Operator Type

No. of Units Floorspace

No. of units % of Total UK

Average % Index

(UK=100) Floorspace

(sq.m) % of Total UK

Average %

Index (UK=100)

Number (and %) of Convenience Goods Outlets G1A Bakers 27 2.39% 1.91% 125 2060 0.64% 0.99% 65 G1B Butchers 1 0.09% 0.74% 12 120 0.04% 0.41% 9 G1C Greengrocers & fishmongers 2 0.18% 0.65% 27 10820 3.38% 1.46% 231 G1D Grocery and frozen foods 14 1.24% 2.80% 44 4470 1.40% 11.82% 12 G1E Off-licences and home brew 1 0.09% 0.68% 13 100 0.03% 0.45% 7 G1F Confectioners, tobacconists, newsagents 40 3.55% 2.28% 156 5640 1.76% 1.52% 116 TOTAL 85 7.54% 9.06% 83 23210 7.25% 16.65% 44 Number (and %) of Comparison Goods Outlets G2A Footwear & repair 40 3.55% 2.33% 152 6190 1.93% 1.64% 118 G2B Men's & boys’ wear 26 2.30% 1.20% 192 4430 1.38% 0.97% 143 G2C Women's, girls, children's clothing 69 6.12% 5.52% 111 15430 4.82% 4.72% 102 G2D Mixed and general clothing 92 8.16% 3.38% 241 37150 11.60% 5.60% 207 G2E Furniture, carpets & textiles 11 0.98% 3.97% 25 3690 1.15% 4.47% 26

G2F Booksellers, arts/crafts, stationers/copy bureaux 42 3.72% 4.19% 89 12470 3.90% 3.38% 115

G2G Electrical, home entertainment, telephones and video 47 4.17% 4.56% 91 11300 3.53% 3.50% 101

G2H DIY, hardware & household goods 8 0.71% 2.85% 25 2670 0.83% 4.97% 17 G2I Gifts, china, glass and leather goods 16 1.42% 1.69% 84 2090 0.65% 0.89% 73 G2J Cars, motorcycles & motor accessories 3 0.27% 1.31% 20 540 0.17% 2.01% 8 G2K Chemists, toiletries & opticians 32 2.84% 3.95% 72 8140 2.54% 4.08% 62

G2L Variety, department & catalogue showrooms 20 1.77% 0.93% 191 56090 17.52% 8.52% 206

G2M Florists and gardens 3 0.27% 1.00% 27 130 0.04% 0.44% 9 G2N Sports, toys, cycles and hobbies 28 2.48% 2.39% 104 11000 3.44% 2.44% 141 G2O Jewellers, clocks & repair 26 2.30% 2.33% 99 2110 0.66% 1.04% 63 G2P Charity shops, pets and other comparison 9 0.80% 3.73% 21 2590 0.81% 2.48% 33 TOTAL 472 41.84% 45.32% 92 176020 54.98% 51.14% 108 Number (and %) of Service Uses

G3A Restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, fast food & take-aways 206 18.26% 14.34% 127 34990 10.93% 9.16% 119

G3B Hairdressers, beauty parlours & health centres 71 6.29% 7.33% 86 7320 2.29% 3.52% 65

G3C Laundries & drycleaners 4 0.35% 0.96% 37 310 0.10% 0.45% 22 G3D Travel agents 17 1.51% 1.62% 93 2440 0.76% 0.94% 81

G3E Banks & financial services (incl. accountants) 44 3.90% 4.41% 88 13560 4.24% 4.92% 86

G3F Building societies 8 0.71% 0.67% 106 1820 0.57% 0.56% 102 G3G Estate agents & auctioneers 11 0.98% 3.90% 25 3610 1.13% 2.20% 51 TOTAL 361 32.00% 33.23% 96 64050 20.01% 21.75% 92 Number (and %) of Miscellaneous Uses

G4A Employment, careers, Post Offices and information 23 2.04% 1.32% 154 6720 2.10% 1.12% 187

G4B Vacant units (all categories) 187 16.58% 11.07% 150 50130 15.66% 9.34% 168 TOTAL 210 18.62% 12.39% 150 56850 17.76% 10.46% 170 GRAND TOTAL 1128 100.00% 100.00% 320130 100.00% 100.00%

Table 7: Goad Diversity of Uses: Sutton Coldfield Town Centre. Survey Date – April 2008


No. of Units Floorspace No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100) Floorspace

(sq.m) % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)




G2H DIY, hardware & household goods 2 1.02% 2.85% 36 3130 5.95% 4.97% 120 G2I Gifts, china, glass and leather goods 1 0.51% 1.69% 30 90 0.17% 0.89% 19 G2J Cars, motorcycles & motor accessories 3 1.52% 1.31% 116 1550 2.95% 2.01% 147 G2K Chemists, toiletries & opticians 10 5.08% 3.95% 129 2530 4.81% 4.08% 118

G2L Variety, department & catalogue showrooms 5 2.54% 0.93% 273 7880 14.99% 8.52% 176

G2M Florists and gardens 1 0.51% 1.00% 51 20 0.04% 0.44% 9 G2N Sports, toys, cycles and hobbies 6 3.05% 2.39% 127 1310 2.49% 2.44% 102 G2O Jewellers, clocks & repair 5 2.54% 2.33% 109 620 1.18% 1.04% 113 G2P Charity shops, pets and other comparison 5 2.54% 3.73% 68 1700 3.23% 2.48% 130 TOTAL 99 50.25% 45.32% 111 34770 66.14% 51.14% 129 Number (and %) of Service Uses



G3C Laundries & drycleaners 1 0.51% 0.96% 53 120 0.23% 0.45% 51 G3D Travel agents 4 2.03% 1.62% 125 520 0.99% 0.94% 105

G3E Banks & financial services (incl. accountants) 12 6.09% 4.41% 138 3640 6.92% 4.92% 141

G3F Building societies 3 1.52% 0.67% 227 380 0.72% 0.56% 129 G3G Estate agents & auctioneers 13 6.60% 3.90% 169 1660 3.16% 2.20% 144 TOTAL 57 28.93% 33.23% 87 10040 19.10% 21.75% 88 Number (and %) of Miscellaneous Uses



Table 8: Goad Diversity of Uses: Perry Barr. Survey Date – February 2008


No. of Units Floorspace No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100) Floorspace

(sq.m) % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)




G2H DIY, hardware & household goods 5 3.57% 2.85% 125 5110 11.03% 4.97% 222 G2I Gifts, china, glass and leather goods 0 0.00% 1.69% 0 0 0.00% 0.89% 0 G2J Cars, motorcycles & motor accessories 1 0.71% 1.31% 55 210 0.45% 2.01% 23 G2K Chemists, toiletries & opticians 8 5.71% 3.95% 145 1450 3.13% 4.08% 77 G2L Variety, department & catalogue showrooms 1 0.71% 0.93% 77 860 1.86% 8.52% 22 G2M Florists and gardens 2 1.43% 1.00% 143 160 0.35% 0.44% 79 G2N Sports, toys, cycles and hobbies 4 2.86% 2.39% 120 2620 5.66% 2.44% 232 G2O Jewellers, clocks & repair 0 0.00% 2.33% 0 0 0.00% 1.04% 0 G2P Charity shops, pets and other comparison 2 1.43% 3.73% 38 1720 3.71% 2.48% 150 TOTAL 68 48.57% 45.32% 107 27590 59.56% 51.14% 116 Number (and %) of Service Uses



G3C Laundries & drycleaners 2 1.43% 0.96% 149 170 0.37% 0.45% 82 G3D Travel agents 2 1.43% 1.62% 88 260 0.56% 0.94% 60 G3E Banks & financial services (incl. accountants) 7 5.00% 4.41% 113 1350 2.91% 4.92% 59 G3F Building societies 1 0.71% 0.67% 107 190 0.41% 0.56% 73 G3G Estate agents & auctioneers 6 4.29% 3.90% 110 660 1.42% 2.20% 65 TOTAL 40 28.57% 33.23% 86 6000 12.95% 21.75% 60 Number (and %) of Miscellaneous Uses



Table 9: Goad Diversity of Uses: Acocks Green. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)

Number (and %) of Convenience Goods Outlets G1A Bakers 3 2.70% 1.91% 142 G1B Butchers 2 1.80% 0.74% 243 G1C Greengrocers & fishmongers 3 2.70% 0.65% 416 G1D Grocery and frozen foods 5 4.50% 2.80% 161 G1E Off-licences and home brew 0 0.00% 0.68% 0 G1F Confectioners, tobacconists, newsagents 3 2.70% 2.28% 119 TOTAL 16 14.41% 9.06% 159 Number (and %) of Comparison Goods Outlets G2A Footwear & repair 3 2.70% 2.33% 116 G2B Men's & boys’ wear 1 0.90% 1.20% 75 G2C Women's, girls, children's clothing 4 3.60% 5.52% 65 G2D Mixed and general clothing 4 3.60% 3.38% 107 G2E Furniture, carpets & textiles 2 1.80% 3.97% 45 G2F Booksellers, arts/crafts, stationers/copy bureaux 3 2.70% 4.19% 65

G2G Electrical, home entertainment, telephones and video 4 3.60% 4.56% 79

G2H DIY, hardware & household goods 1 0.90% 2.85% 32 G2I Gifts, china, glass and leather goods 0 0.00% 1.69% 0 G2J Cars, motorcycles & motor accessories 2 1.80% 1.31% 138 G2K Chemists, toiletries & opticians 5 4.50% 3.95% 114 G2L Variety, department & catalogue showrooms 8 7.21% 0.93% 775 G2M Florists and gardens 0 0.00% 1.00% 0 G2N Sports, toys, cycles and hobbies 0 0.00% 2.39% 0 G2O Jewellers, clocks & repair 1 0.90% 2.33% 39 G2P Charity shops, pets and other comparison 10 9.01% 3.73% 242 TOTAL 48 43.24% 45.32% 95 Number (and %) of Service Uses

G3A Restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, fast food & take-aways 15 13.51% 14.34% 94

G3B Hairdressers, beauty parlours & health centres 5 4.50% 7.33% 61 G3C Laundries & drycleaners 1 0.90% 0.96% 94 G3D Travel agents 2 1.80% 1.62% 111 G3E Banks & financial services (incl. accountants) 10 9.01% 4.41% 204 G3F Building societies 1 0.90% 0.67% 134 G3G Estate agents & auctioneers 5 4.50% 3.90% 116 TOTAL 39 35.14% 33.23% 106 Number (and %) of Miscellaneous Uses G4A Employment, careers, Post Offices and information 1 0.90% 1.32% 68 G4B Vacant units (all categories) 7 6.31% 11.07% 57 TOTAL 8 7.21% 12.39% 58

Table 10: Goad Diversity of Uses: Erdington. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)





G3B Hairdressers, beauty parlours & health centres 16 6.96% 7.33% 95 G3C Laundries & drycleaners 1 0.43% 0.96% 45 G3D Travel agents 2 0.87% 1.62% 54 G3E Banks & financial services (incl. accountants) 20 8.70% 4.41% 197 G3F Building societies 2 0.87% 0.67% 130 G3G Estate agents & auctioneers 9 3.91% 3.90% 100 TOTAL 77 33.48% 33.23% 101 Number (and %) of Miscellaneous Uses G4A Employment, careers, Post Offices and information 4 1.74% 1.32% 132 G4B Vacant units (all categories) 34 14.78% 11.07% 134 TOTAL 38 16.52% 12.39% 133 GRAND TOTAL 230 100.00% 100.00%

Table 11: Goad Diversity of Uses: Kings Heath. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 12: Goad Diversity of Uses: Northfield. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 13: Goad Diversity of Uses: Sheldon. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 14: Goad Diversity of Uses: Selly Oak. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 15: Goad Diversity of Uses: Harborne. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 16: Goad Diversity of Uses: Edgbaston. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 17: Goad Diversity of Uses: Mere Green


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 18: Goad Diversity of Uses: New Oscott. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 19: Goad Diversity of Uses: Saltley. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 20: Goad Diversity of Uses: Small Heath. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 21 – Goad Diversity of Uses: Soho Road. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 22: Goad Diversity of Uses: Stirchley. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






Table 23: Goad Diversity of Uses: Swan Yardley. Survey Date – August 2009

No. of units % of Total UK Average

%Index

(UK=100)

G1A Bakers 0 0.00% 1.91% 0G1B Butchers 0 0.00% 0.74% 0G1C Greengrocers & fishmongers 0 0.00% 0.65% 0G1D Grocery and frozen foods 3 6.52% 2.80% 233G1E Off-licences and home brew 0 0.00% 0.68% 0G1F Confectioners, tobacconists, newsagents 1 2.17% 2.28% 95

TOTAL 4 8.70% 9.06% 96

G2A Footwear & repair 0 0.00% 2.33% 0G2B Men's & boys’ wear 0 0.00% 1.20% 0G2C Women's, girls, children's clothing 0 0.00% 5.52% 0G2D Mixed and general clothing 0 0.00% 3.38% 0G2E Furniture, carpets & textiles 0 0.00% 3.97% 0G2F Booksellers, arts/crafts, stationers/copy bureaux 0 0.00% 4.19% 0G2G Electrical, home entertainment, telephones and video 0 0.00% 4.56% 0G2H DIY, hardware & household goods 1 2.17% 2.85% 76G2I Gifts, china, glass and leather goods 0 0.00% 1.69% 0G2J Cars, motorcycles & motor accessories 2 4.35% 1.31% 332G2K Chemists, toiletries & opticians 0 0.00% 3.95% 0G2L Variety, department & catalogue showrooms 0 0.00% 0.93% 0G2M Florists and gardens 0 0.00% 1.00% 0G2N Sports, toys, cycles and hobbies 0 0.00% 2.39% 0G2O Jewellers, clocks & repair 0 0.00% 2.33% 0G2P Charity shops, pets and other comparison 0 0.00% 3.73% 0

TOTAL 3 6.52% 45.32% 14

G3A Restaurants, cafes, coffee bars, fast food & take-aways 3 6.52% 14.34% 45G3B Hairdressers, beauty parlours & health centres 4 8.70% 7.33% 119G3C Laundries & drycleaners 1 2.17% 0.96% 226G3D Travel agents 0 0.00% 1.62% 0G3E Banks & financial services (incl. accountants) 1 2.17% 4.41% 49G3F Building societies 0 0.00% 0.67% 0G3G Estate agents & auctioneers 0 0.00% 3.90% 0

TOTAL 9 19.57% 33.23% 59

G4A Employment, careers, Post Offices and information 2 4.35% 1.32% 329G4B Vacant units (all categories) 28 60.87% 11.07% 550

TOTAL 30 65.22% 12.39% 526GRAND TOTAL 46 100.00% 100.00%

Number (and %) of Service Uses

Number (and %) of Miscellaneous Uses

No. of UnitsGoad Code Operator Type

Number (and %) of Convenience Goods Outlets

Number (and %) of Comparison Goods Outlets

Table 24: Goad Diversity of Uses: Fox and Goose. Survey Date – November 2008


No. of Units No. of

units % of Total

UK Average

% Index

(UK=100)






APPENDIX 3 GOAD LAND USE PLANS

APPENDIX 4 CENTRE MAPS

Map 18 Swan, Yardley

birmingham retail needs assessment …...birmingham retail needs assessment volume 3 – full health...

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