The Scottish Government

New Regional Shopping Centres

Out-of-centre shopping centres, generally over 50,000 sq metres gross retail area and typically comprising a wide range of comparison goods shops.

Potential for substantial impact over wide area, leading to significant levels of trade diversion from existing centres, jeopardising investment in those centres and encouraging excessive traffic growth. Development of further new regional centres is unlikely to be consistent with this SPP. Planning permission should be refused unless all the considerations set out in this SPP can be addressed satisfactorily.

New District Shopping Centres

Shopping centres separate from the town centre, serving suburban areas or smaller settlements. Usually contain at least one food supermarket or superstore, a range of other shops and services such as banks, building societies and restaurants,.

New district centres within an urban area should be included within the development plan strategy, as part of a network of centres. Proposals should not exceed 30,000 sq metres gross, although outside cities, a smaller size is likely to be more appropriate.

Retail Parks

A single development of at least 3 retail warehouses with associated car parking.

New parks or expansion of existing parks should be considered in relation to the identified network of centres. Implications for existing centres, particularly of goods sold and format of proposed development should be considered. Where appropriate, impact should be mitigated using restrictive conditions.

Food Superstores

Self-service stores selling mainly food goods, usually with more than 2,500 sq metres trading floorspace, with associated car parking.

Superstores should be of an appropriate scale relative to their catchment area. The range and level of goods and services should not have a significant detrimental impact on town centres identified within the network of centres in the development plan. Individual superstores do not comprise a centre in terms of this policy.

Food Discount Stores

In land use planning terms food discount stores are indistinguishable from most other forms of retailing.

Retail Warehouse Clubs

Retail warehouse clubs or discount clubs combine elements of cash and carry wholesaling with sales to qualifying members of the public.

These outlets share many of the characteristics of large retail outlets, in which case they should be treated for the purpose of this guidance as if they were retail businesses.

Factory Shops

Shops specialising in the sale of manufacturers' products direct to the public, usually located adjacent to the production unit.

Further proposals may be appropriate, provided the scale of the shop does not impact on nearby town centres or raise significant transport issues. Retail use should remain ancillary to the main production use.

Factory Outlet Centres

Groups of factory shops and other retailers, focusing mainly on fashion and other specialist shopping, unrelated to their manufacturing base and generally in out-of-centre locations. They provide a means for disposing of surplus stock direct to the public.

As they draw trade from a wide catchment area, there may be implications for existing tourist and town centres. Unless the sale of goods can be regarded as a use incidental to the manufacturing process, such outlets should be treated as normal retail developments and assessed accordingly.

Petrol Filling Stations

Petrol filling stations increasingly provide a wider range of goods in an associated shop. The important role as the local shop or small supermarket in rural areas is recognised, although such shops should remain of a scale appropriate to the location. Developments should only be approved where the shopping component would not seriously undermine centres in the defined network.

Commercial Leisure Schemes

Groups of commercial leisure activities, such as multi-screen cinemas and bowling alleys

The sequential approach applies equally to the location of such types of development which need to be accessible to a large number of people. Where appropriate sites can be found in or on the edge of town centres, these should be the preferred location and planned in conjunction with complementary uses and parking.

Amusement Centres

Amusement centres are most appropriately sited in secondary shopping areas, or in areas of mixed commercial development. They are unlikely to be acceptable in primary shopping areas, close to housing, or near schools, places of worship, hospitals and hotels, or where they are likely to affect amenity adversely, especially in conservation areas or places of special architectural character.

In granting consent, planning authorities should give careful consideration to the likely impact on the neighbourhood of any disturbance generated; and to the nature and extent of planning conditions which may mitigate the effects, including limiting opening hours, or reducing noise

Restaurants, Pubs, Hot Food Outlets

Because of the potential for noise and disturbance, it will normally be appropriate for these to be located in existing shopping or commercial areas. Assessment should consider not only their positive contribution in diversifying uses in existing centres, but also local problems which could arise from a concentration of such uses. Account should be taken of nuisance, odour and traffic noise particularly in close proximity to residential areas. It may be appropriate to avoid a proliferation or a clustering in order to minimise disturbance and to protect the amenity of an area. When giving planning approval, it may be necessary to apply conditions restricting opening hours.

Casinos

Planning consideration of any casino development will need to take account of the Gambling Act 2005, which defines three categories of casino and makes provision for determining the geographical distribution of casino premises licences within specified limits. Within that context, the location of casinos should be determined against the policy in this SPP; the capacity to offer significant regeneration, employment or tourism benefits; the proximity to and impact on residential areas; and be sited as a clearly defined leisure / entertainment destination.