Brook Retail Park, Clacton-on-Sea
Britton Construction Ltd

Major out of town retail proposals achieved following comprehensive research and a firm strategy.

Whilst a major out of town food and non-food retail park in the countryside on the northern edge of Clacton had been promoted by the Council through its emerging Local Plan, the 1996 rewrite of PPG6 led to the scheme’s deletion from the nearly adopted Plan.

We subsequently promoted a smaller scheme for 120,000ft² of retail warehousing, a petrol station, leisure box and two restaurant units. To compensate for the loss of countryside, 14 ha of adjoining land was offered as a country park.

We demonstrated a very substantial need for the new retail floorspace and that no other sites were available. Whilst the Council and the Secretary of State rejected the first proposal, a further scheme, with amendments but the same retail floorspace, was granted planning permission by the Secretary of State. He agreed that the substantial retail need (together with the lack of any other suitable sites) and the provision of a country park, outweighed the loss of the countryside.

We managed the whole planning process including a very effective critique of the Council’s consultant’s retail study, negotiating an acceptable new bus service to the site with the County Council and a local operator and instructing leading Counsel.

Following the grant of planning permission and the establishment of retail use in this countryside location, half of the site was promoted as a superstore to be occupied by Tesco. Clacton on Sea already contained a number of town centre and edge of centre superstores. Demonstrating capacity for additional floorspace in an out of centre location therefore posed a significant challenge. An innovative argument was required which involved a further critique of work produced by the Council’s retail consultant.

A well structured, household survey questionnaire secured robust results about local shopping habits. This allowed us to quantify the various significant sources of expenditure leakage from stores located within and on the edge of Colchester and the quantum that could be recovered. We developed and maintained a positive working relationship with the Council’s officers and members, including through the briefing of relevant politicians. This helped to obtain the Council’s support for the proposals. We then worked hard to ensure that the application was not called in by the Secretary of State.