Proposed Relocation of Council Services and … B... · DL3 7EH 01325 469236...

Proposed Relocation

of Council Services and

Employees from

Scarborough Town

Hall

Assessment of Impact

on Scarborough Town

Centre

Scarborough Borough

Council

May 2012

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Scarborough Borough Council

Proposed Relocation of Council Services and

Employees from Scarborough Town Hall

Assessment of Impact on Scarborough Town

Centre

May 2012

England & Lyle Ltd

Gateway House

Coniscliffe Rd

Darlington

DL3 7EH

01325 469236

[email protected]

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Introduction1. England & Lyle Ltd has been commissioned by Scarborough Borough Council

to undertake an assessment of the potential impact on the vitality and

viability of Scarborough Town Centre that might result from any relocation of

Council services and Town Hall employees from the Town Hall and Council

Offices, to new purpose built out of centre accommodation elsewhere in the

town.

2. The Borough Council is aware that week-day retail expenditure by its

employees in Scarborough Town Centre during their lunch breaks, and before

and after work, forms part of the overall pattern of expenditure in the town

centre and contributes towards the overall vitality and viability of the Town

Centre.

3. The primary purpose of this assessment is therefore to quantify this level of

retail expenditure, compare it to the overall retail turnover of shops in the

Town Centre and thereby assess the potential impact of any relocation of

employees to a site remote from the Centre. The study will also assess the

potential impact on the Town Centre that might result from the subsequent

re-use/redevelopment of the Town Hall, Council buildings and car park for a

variety of uses including offices, retail , leisure, hotel and residential.

Background

The Site

4. Scarborough Borough Council occupies a number of buildings and service

areas on the eastern side of Scarborough Town Centre – see Figure 1. The

buildings principally comprise: The Victorian Town Hall (Listed Grade II); a

range of later extensions built in the 1960s; and York House. York House

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comprises a number of smaller Mid C18 to Mid C19 properties that are Listed

Grade II or II*. The available accommodation extends to approximately

5,500sqm, over several floors. At present not all this floorspace is occupied

by the Council.

5. The Council also owns a car park on the eastern side of King Street that is

mainly used by Council officers. This area extends to 0.31ha in total and is

potentially available for redevelopment.

6. There are currently 340 Council employees based at the Town Hall and

Council offices. This excludes employees from other agencies based at the

Town Hall and which have been excluded from this exercise.

Planning Background

Development Plan

7. The Development Plan currently comprises the Regional Spatial Strategy and

the Scarborough Local Plan 1999 (Saved Policies). The RSS is however

scheduled for abolition shortly and very limited weight can be attached to its

provisions. Given the age of the Local Plan National planning Policy

Framework is a significant material consideration. The replacement

Scarborough Core Strategy/ Local Plan is still in a draft form.

8. The Local Plan Proposals Map shows the whole of the Town Hall site lying

within a Conservation Area with land either side of King Street allocated

under Policy S4 as a Regeneration Area. Policy S4 states:

“The redevelopment and / or rehabilitation and re-use of buildings and land in

the King Street area, Scarborough, for a mixed development of retail, commercial

and residential uses will be permitted provided that:

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a) The scheme will facilitate the retention, restoration and re-use of the

listed buildings on the site;

b) The development retains the historic form of King Street within the Old

Town;

c) The scheme will include a pedestrian link through to St Nicholas

Gardens;

d) The operational car parking requirements of proposed uses are met;

e) The development will provide an attractive elevation to views from

the harbour. “

9. A range of other development management polices would also apply to any

subsequent redevelopment / regeneration scheme.

Futurist and Town Hall Development Brief (Draft)

10. The purpose of the Brief is to outline relevant planning considerations

relative to the site, to shape the nature and type of any future applications

for planning permission, and to inform the subsequent decision-making

process.

11. A further function is to help generate interest from appropriate commercial

organisations, which could bring forward the regeneration/redevelopment of

the site either in its entirety or in part. The Brief suggests a number of

potential re-use / re-development scenarios for the Town Hall site but is not

meant to be prescriptive. It confirms that a range of uses could be

accommodated on the site, including offices, retail, leisure, hotel and

residential, either within the existing buildings and/or through new build.

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Retail Study

12. In 2007 a Borough wide Retail Study was undertaken for the Borough Council

by Martin Tonks. This assessment provides a range of base line information

that is useful for this impact assessment in terms of estimated retail turnover

of shops within Scarborough Town centre together with information on

average retail expenditure levels per person. This study is currently being

updated.

NPPF

13. NPPF provides useful guidance on delivering sustainable development,

building a strong and competitive economy, and ensuring the vitality of town

centres. Together with the Good Practice Guidance associated with the now

replaced PPS4, it also provides guidance on the methodology to be used

when assessing the impact of new development on town centres. It states

that applications for development which have a significant adverse impact on

town centres should be refused.

Methodology & Results

14. In order to assess the impact on any proposed relocation of the Council

services and employees, on the vitality and viability of Scarborough Town

Centre we have undertaken the following key actions:

a) Two questionnaire surveys of Town Hall employees, on w/c 9th

January 2012 and w/c 28th May 2012, to establish their average

spending patterns, and use of other town centre services in the Town

Centre during the working week (Mon- Fri);

b) A review of the 2007 Retail Study to identify retail turnover figures

for Town Centre;

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c) A review of Floor Space Schedules for Town Hall Buildings provided by

SBC;

d) A review of potential alternative use scenarios for constituent

elements of Town Hall estate provided by SBC; and

e) Estimated potential employment and expenditure likely to be

associated with alternative scenarios for the Town Hall site using 2010

Employment Densities Guide (HCA, Drivers Jonas Deloitte) and

expenditure per head data (2007 Retail Study).

Quantitative Impact

15. The 2007 Retail Study (Tables 7 and 20) estimates (on the basis of 2004

prices) the turnover of shops in Scarborough Town Centre at £145.4 million

from 33,370 sqm of net retail floorspace1. The vast majority of this turnover

(£139.5 million) is derived from comparison (non-food) expenditure reflecting

the relatively limited amount of food shopping floorspace in the town centre.

Adjusting from 2004 to 2011 prices the turnover estimates are £143.1 million

of which £135.3 is in comparison goods. The Pitney Bowes Business Insight

Retail Expenditure Guide (2011) indicates that in the period 2008-2011

average ‘all-goods’ retail expenditure per head increased by just 1%. This is

not a significant change and furthermore there has also been no significant

change in terms of net retail floorspace available within the Town Centre

since 2007. As a result we do not consider that any further adjustment needs

to be made to the turnover data for Scarborough Town Centre detailed

above.

1 This is based on average sales densities derived 2007 Verdict Grocery Report and the Mintel 2007 Retail Rankings

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January 2012 Expenditure Survey

16. The first survey of Town Hall employee’s expenditure habits was undertaken

in w/c 9th January 2012. The questionnaire survey was circulated to all 340

Town Hall employees and completed forms were returned by 248 employees

(73%). This is a robust response and provides a good basis for estimating

expenditure by Town Hall employees as a whole.

17. Table 1 below details total weekly and average daily week-day expenditure in

the town centre by all the 248 Town Hall employees broken down by broad

category during the w/c 9th Jan 2012.

Table 1 – Expenditure by Questionnaire Respondents

Total Weekly

Expenditure (£)

Average Total Daily

Expenditure (£)

Lunch 2,097 420

Food 2,675 535

Non – Food 2,880 576

Leisure 767 153

Post Office 789 158

Other 2,871 574

TOTAL 12,072 2,414

18. Using the data in Table 1, Table 2 details average yearly, weekly and daily

expenditure per head of those who returned completed questionnaires

Table 2 – Average Expenditure by Respondents

Average Yearly

Expenditure / Head (£)

Average Weekly


Average Daily


2531.36 48.68 9.73

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19. Table 3 applies this average expenditure/head figure to all 340 Town Hall

employees in order to calculate total projected figures for average daily

weekly and yearly retail expenditure by Town Hall Employees in Scarborough

Town Centre.

Table 3 Projected Expenditure by all Town Hall Employees

Total Projected Yearly

Expenditure (£)

Total Projected

Weekly Expenditure

(£)

Total Projected Daily

Expenditure (£)

860,662 16,551 3,308

May 2012 Expenditure Survey

20. In order to respond to issues and questions arising from the January survey a

further survey was undertaken in May 2012. This survey was sent to 295

Town Hall employees (excluding 56 Customer First, CCTV and Parking

Attendants who are now expected to remain within the Town Centre) and

the 50 Elected Council Members. As with the January survey respondents

were asked to detail daily expenditure for certain defined categories of goods

but were then also asked to provide more detail of their expenditure in terms

of the main shops visited and level of expenditure in those shops.

21. A total of 191 responses were received (55%) which remains a robust

response rate. Table 4 details the total daily and weekly expenditure

patterns of the respondents.

Table 4 - Expenditure by Questionnaire Respondents

Total Weekly

Expenditure (£)

Average Total Daily

Expenditure (£)

Lunch 1,622 324

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Food 2,897 579

Non – Food 6,031 1,206

Leisure 840 168

Post Office 1,272 255

Other 4,601 920

TOTAL 17,263 3,452

22. Using the data in Table 4, Table 5 details average yearly, weekly and daily

expenditure per head of those who returned completed questionnaires

Table 5 Average Expenditure by Respondents

Average Yearly


Average Weekly


Average Daily


4699.76 90.38 18.07

23. Table 6 applies this average expenditure/head figure to all 345 Town Hall

employees and Elected Members in order to calculate projected total

figures for average daily weekly and yearly retail expenditure by Town Hall

Employees in Scarborough Town Centre.

Table 6 Projected Expenditure by all Town Hall Employees

Projected Total

Average Yearly

Expenditure (£)

Projected Total

Average Weekly

Expenditure (£)

Total Average Daily

Expenditure (£)

1,621,417 31,181.10 6234.15

24. Table 7 shows the average projected daily, weekly and annual expenditure

levels by town hall employees over the two survey periods.

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Table 7 Average Projected Expenditure by all Town Hall Employees

Total Average Yearly

Expenditure (£)

Total Average Weekly

Expenditure (£)

Total Average Daily

Expenditure (£)

1,241,039 23,866 4,771

25. On the basis of these survey results the average total current yearly retail

expenditure in Scarborough Town Centre by Town Hall employees and

members is therefore approximately £1.24 million. This is equivalent to

0.87% of the total retail turnover in Scarborough Town centre of

£143.1million. Average daily and weekly expenditure per

employee/member is £13.82 and £69.17 respectively.

26. The 0.87% figure anticipates that all current expenditure by

employees/members during the working week will be wholly ‘lost’ to the

town centre. However this is unlikely given the fact that most employees and

Members live locally and Scarborough Town Centre represents the nearest

and most convenient retail destination. An element of current expenditure

undertaken during the week will still be spent by employees in the Town

Centre in the future but at other times such as the weekend.

27. In order to quantify this issue the May 2012 survey asked respondents to

assess what proportion of current weekday expenditure they would continue

to make in the Town Centre even following any relocation. Table 8 below

reports these assessment figures:

Table 8 Expenditure RetentionType of

Expenditure

Total Weekly

Spend

Total Weekly

Spend to

Remain in

Town Centre

Average % to

Remain in

Town Centre

Food 2,897 297 10.3

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Non-Food 6,031 1,426 23.6

Total 8,928 1,723 19.3

28. Table 8 demonstrates that only a small amount of expenditure on food will

be retained within the town centre following any relocation, reflecting the

fact that the majority of food expenditure is likely to be associated ‘top-up’

shopping by employees rather than a ‘main food’ shop. The proportion of

non-food goods expenditure, that it is anticipated will be retained, is much

higher as might be expected given the dominant role of comparison good

retail floorspace in the Town Centre.

29. Applying the total expenditure retention figure of 19.3% in Table 8 to the

‘gross’ expenditure figure of £1,241,039 in Table 7 above would result in the

following ‘net’ figure £1,001,518 i.e. 0.7% of retail expenditure in

Scarborough Town Centre.

30. A quantitative impact of just 0.7% would have little quantitative material

impact on the vitality and viability of Scarborough Town Centre and is well

below the ‘significant adverse impact’ test outlined in NPPF that must be

applied when assessing the impact of proposals for new edge of centre /out

of centre retail developments on existing town centres. There is no defined

threshold at which point an impact on vitality and viability becomes

significantly adverse as this will vary from application to application and town

to town. However as a guide however it is widely accepted that any

development(s) resulting in a quantitative impact of less than 10% on a

reasonably performing town centre, such as Scarborough, would generally

not be considered to have a ‘significant adverse impact’ in NPPF terms. It is

also noted that the potential level of impact on the turnover of the Town

Centre is substantially less than the 2.3% projected growth/head in retail

expenditure projected by Pitney Bowes MapInfo in 2011-2012. (Pitney Bowes

Insight Retail Expenditure Guide 2011/2012, September 2011).

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31. It is noted that the Borough Council has recently indicated that it is minded to

approve two planning applications for new retail floorspace in out of centre

locations i.e. An extension to the existing Sainsbury store at Falsgrave Road and

the erection of a new Tesco superstore on land at Dean Street, Scarborough.

The cumulative impact of both proposals on the Town Centre is estimated at

8.8% for convenience goods and 8.9% for comparison goods. If the Town Hall

employees were to relocate to an out of centre location the level of potential

impact from these proposals on the Town Centre would be likely to increase.

32. The ‘loss’ of this level of retail expenditure from the Town Centre, will not

therefore have a significant adverse impact on the vitality and viability of

Scarborough Town Centre as a whole. It may however impact on some

individual retailers more than others and the May 2012 survey specifically

asked employees and Members to record which shops they visited each

week and how many times. Tables 9. 10 and 11 below details these figures:

Table 9 Lunch

Outlet Lunch Visits

Café/Bar 66

Cooplands 95

Greggs 2

Hardys Bakery 27

Marks & Spencer 120

Woodheads 12

Other 77

Total Visits 399

Table 10 Food

Outlet Food Shop Visits

£ Shops 6

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Boyes 4

Market 12

Marks and Spencer 120

Nisa 6

Tesco / Express 15

Wilkinsons 7

Other 81

Total Visits 251

Table 11 Non Food

Outlet Non-Food Shop Visits

£ Shops 11

Argos 6

Bookshops/ Newsagents 53

Boots 37

Boyes 20

Charity Shops 7

Marks & Spencer 29

Matalan 23

Shoe Shops 10

Sports Shops 5

TK Maxx 6

Wilkinsons 51

Next 2

Debenhams 15

Other 89

Total Visits 364

33. Tables 9, 10 & 11 show a range of shopping patterns. Marks and Spencer is

the most popular destination for lunch expenditure visits, accounting for

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about 30% of all visits to shops by respondents to buy lunch. It also plays an

important role in terms of food expenditure with 50% of all ‘food’ visits by

respondents, perhaps in part reflecting the absence of other larger scale food

retailers in the Town Centre. Non-food visits are more widely distributed

with no individual shops attracting more than 14% of all visits.

34. Figures are not available to assess what the impact would be on any of the

individual shops listed in terms of turnover or in terms of overall visits /

footfall.

Re-Use/ Redevelopment of Town Hall Site

35. Table 12 summarises the amount of accommodation currently available on

the Town Hall site:

Table 12 Accommodation Schedule

Floorspace (sqm)

Block 1 (West Extension) 866

Block 2 (Main Civic) 1,267

Block 3 (East Extension) 2,143

Block 4 (York House + CCTV) 1,222

TOTAL 5,498

Source: Scarborough Borough Council

36. The Draft Planning Brief for the Town Hall and Futurist sites indicates that the

Town Hall site could be reused for a variety of development options including

offices, residential, retail, leisure, and hotel. It does not however provide any

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suggested floorspace figures for the alternative uses. It is not possible

therefore to assess how many jobs these alterative uses might deliver and

therefore what impact the reuse would have on the vitality and viability of

the town centre

37. As part of a valuation exercise the Council officers have however sought to

identify potential re-use options together associated floorspace figures .

Table 13 lists these alternatives and the estimates of floorspace for each of

the Blocks identified in Table 12.

Table 13 Redevelopment Options

Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

Block 1

(Ground,

Mezzanine and

basement only)

Offices Conversion to

Retail / Leisure

Conversion to

Retail / Leisure

Block 2

(Incorporating

upper floors of

Block 1)

Offices Business Centre

with

Residential

above ( 12 x

2/3 bed

apartments)

Business Centre

with

Residential

above ( 12 x

2/3 bed

apartments)

Block 3 Offices 50 Bed Budget

Hotel

Residential ( 30

x 2 bed

apartments)

Block 4 Offices Offices Offices

King St Car Park Car Park Residential ( 20

x 2 bed

apartments)

Offices

(1500sqm)

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38. Option 1 above assumes the 100% re-use of the all the Town Hall buildings in

their current format for other office based uses. Option 2 assumes a

fundamental reconfiguring and change of use of the buildings to deliver a mix

of commercial, hotel and residential uses. The only remaining ‘office’

element will be the lower floors of the main civic building. Option 3 is a

variation of Option 2 with the hotel option being replaced by residential and

offices being developed on the King Street car park rather than housing.

39. It is clear that the re-use/redevelopment of the Town Hall site for any of the

three options listed in Table 6 will bring with them significant numbers of

new employees whose expenditure in the Town centre would replace in

whole or in part the expenditure lost as a result of the Borough Council’s

relocation. Even where residential uses are proposed this too will have a

positive impact on the vitality and viability of the Town Centre as the shops

will benefit directly from the expenditure generated by the residents of these

new town centre dwellings.

40. In order to asses the potential impact of these re-use/ redevelopment

Options on the vitality and viability of Scarborough Town centre it is first

necessary to:

calculate likely employment generation rates from the floorspace and

uses available and

establish expenditure / head rate for future residents

41. The 2010 Employment Densities Guide prepared by Drivers Jonas Deloitte for

the HCA lists average employment densities for all main land use categories.

These ‘rates’ can be used in the appraisal of potential employment in

property regeneration and economic development projects. The figures

contained in the DJD report are indicative of the levels of employment that

could potentially be generated. They are very broad brush and similar

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development schemes could result in substantially differing figures

depending upon individual circumstances

42. Table 14 below lists the average employment densities for the key alternative

land uses identified by the Council that could be accommodated on the Town

Hall site following its vacation by the Borough Council

Table 14 Average Employment Densities

Area per Full Time Equivalent (sqm)

A1 High Street Shops 19

A3 Restaurant & Cafes 18

B1(a) General Office 12

B1(a) Serviced Office 10

C1 Budget Hotel 1 employee/3 bedrooms + casual

staff

43. The 2007 Retail Study indicates (Tables 2 and 15) that in 2007 the average

spend per head on both convenience and comparison goods in the

Scarborough Area was £4,209 per annum. This was forecast to increase to

£4,898 by 2011. Converted to 2011 prices the averages are £4,573 in 2007

and £5,268 in 2011.

44. Tables 15, 16 and 17 below detail the floorspace to be dedicated to each use

and the average number of new jobs and residents that might be delivered

for each of the three re-use/redevelopment option listed in Table 6

Table 15 - Option 1 - Office use Continues

Floorspace (sqm) Jobs

Block 1 (West Extension) 643 50

Block 2 (Main Civic) 1177 98

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Block 3 (East Extension) 2,151 178

Block 4 (York House +

CCTV)

1,222 102

TOTAL 5,498 428

Table 16 Option 2 - Mixed Use

Floorspace Jobs / Residents

Block 1 (West Extension)

Retail/Leisure

486 27

Block 2 (Main Civic)

Business Centre

864 86


Residential

12 apartments 18 residents @ 1.5

persons / apartment

Block 3 (East Extension)

Budget Hotel

50 beds 17 jobs


CCTV)

1,222 102

King Street Car Park -

Residential

20 apartments 30 residents @ 1.5

persons/apartment

TOTAL 232 jobs + 48

residents

Table 17 Option 3 Mixed Use

Floorspace Jobs / Residents

Block 1 (West Extension)

Retail/Leisure

486 27


Business Centre

864 86

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Residential

12 apartments 18 residents @

1.5persons/apartment

Block 3 (East Extension)

Offices

2,151 178


CCTV)

1,222 102

King Street Car Park -

Offices

1,500 125

TOTAL 518 jobs + 18

residents

45. Applying average expenditure/employee figures derived from the

questionnaire survey and average expenditure per head to future residents ,

derived from the 2007 Retail Study the Options 1-3 re-use/redevelopment

scenarios listed above would result in the replacement annual expenditure

levels listed in Table 18 below – assuming 100% occupancy:

Table 18 Options 1-3 Annual Expenditure (2011 Prices)

Employee

Expenditure (£)

Resident

Expenditure (£)

Total

Expenditure

(£)

Option 1 1,083,268 - 1,083,268

Option 2 587,192 252,864 840,056

Option 3 1,311,085 94,824 1,405,909

46. The figures in Table 18 demonstrate that the re-use/ redevelopment options

considered would generate at least an equivalent level of replacement retail

expenditure for use in Scarborough Town Centre as is currently being

generated by the Borough Council’s existing level of use of the Town Hall site.

Re-use/redevelopment brings with it the potential to increase the level of

available expenditure for Scarborough Town Centre generated by future

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uses on the site, depending upon the mix of uses delivered within the site

and occupancy levels.

Qualitative Impact

47. As part of the 2007 Retail Study a ‘Health Check’ of the vitality an viability

was undertaken of Scarborough Town Centre. This concluded:

“5.3 There is only a limited range of uses other than retail in

Scarborough Town Centre that contribute to the vitality and viability

of the town. For a sub regional centre, diversity is not good. This partly

reflects the fact that Scarborough is a seaside resort and the local

economy has largely been based on tourism. The amount of retail,

leisure and office floorspace in edge and out-of-centre locations has

remained static since 1994 and there has been investment in the town

centre. The potential capacity for growth in the immediate future is

good with two identified town centre sites and two edge-of-centre

sites.

5.4 The town centre environmental quality is quite good and there is a

good choice of multiples and specialist independent shops. Towards

the periphery of the town centre in the secondary frontages there are

a number of charity and discount / bargain shops. However, the

number of vacancies and amount of vacant floorspace is quite low.

5.5 Retailer representation and intentions to change representation is

a strong indicator in Scarborough. The comparison sector is well

represented in the town centre as are banks and financial services but

there is a limited choice and range of convenience goods outlets

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exacerbated by the recent closure of Kwik Save. The town centre

appears not to have re-established its convenience role that has

declined since the out-of-centre Morrisons and Safeway stores opened

in 1994.

5.6 There is also high level of retailer demand particularly from fashion

and restaurant businesses. The proportion of vacant street level

property has decreased in recent years but not to the point where

there a shortage of units. Commercial yields on non-domestic property

have recently decreased to a reasonable 7.25% which compares

favourably with some but not all competing centres.

5.7 Accessibility is fairly good by most modes although motorists face

congestion at peak periods when there is also a shortage of car

parking spaces. The lack of a central bus station is also a weakness

although the frequent park and ride service does help alleviate

congestion and the parking shortage.

5.8 Customer and residents views and behavior indicate reasonable

levels of satisfaction with the town centre. The main concern for both

visitors and businesses is the availability of car parking spaces and

toilet facilities. Perception of safety and crime are reasonably good

and local crime levels are generally below the national average.

5.9 In summary, Scarborough town centre performs well on most PPS6

indicators of vitality and viability and compares reasonably with some

competing centres and other sub-regional centres in the region. The

main strength is the choice and range of clothes and non-food shops

and the pleasant pedestrianised high street shopping environment.

The main weaknesses are the lack of diversity, the limited evening

economy, perceived parking problems and possibly commercial yields.

The main opportunity in the short to medium term is the three

development sites, the new Park & Ride scheme and development of a

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“Cultural Quarter”. The main threat is the continued decline of the

seaside resort as a holiday destination and also the development of

town centre uses including leisure, retail and offices in peripheral

locations. “

48. Whilst there have of course been some changes to retail

provision/representation within the Town Centre and the Borough as a whole

since 2007, these have not been dramatic and as a result it is not considered

that the potential loss of approximately £1million of retail expenditure (0.7%

of Town Centre retail turnover) will have a significant adverse impact on the

health, vitality and viability of retail stores in the Town Centre as a whole.

49. The Martin Tonks’ review of the Retail Impact Assessments submitted to the

Council as part of the recent planning applications by Sainsbury and Tesco,

confirms that Scarborough Town Centre is still considered to be reasonably

healthy on most measurers and voids are low. A review undertaken by the

Borough Council on 10th November 2011 shows there were 35 empty units

out of a total of 441 units within the defined town centre, making a vacancy

rate of 7.9%, compared to average vacancy rates in Great Britain of 14.5% (

Shop Vacancy Report – Local Data Company.

50. The Questionnaire Survey of Town Hall employees also asked about their

weekday use of non-retail services in the town centre e.g. banks, building

societies, leisure outlets, professional services, health services. The findings

of the January Questionnaire revealed that of the 248 respondents 91%

visited at least one non-retail service located in the town centre during the

week of the survey. On average Town Hall employees visited between 3-4

non retail services in the Town centre during the survey week. Banks and

Building societies were the most popular individual category of services

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visited, with employees sometimes making several visits throughout the

week, followed by leisure outlets.

51. The May survey revealed similar result with 87 % of respondents visiting one

or more non retail outlet in the town centre during the survey period. A

similar distribution of outlets was visited.

52. The 2007 Retail Study concluded that non retail services were not a

significant factor in the vitality and viability of Scarborough Town centre. On

this basis the ‘loss’ of custom from Town Hall employees for non retail

services in the Town Centre is unlikely to have a significant adverse impact on

the overall vitality and viability of the Town Centre. Nevertheless the loss of

significant local employer from the Town Centre has the potential to impact

adversely on the vitality and viability of the already limited range of non-

retail outlets in the Town Centre, which might weaken this sector.

53. Unfortunately however no data is available in terms of the number of overall

visits to non retail services in Scarborough Town Centre. It is not therefore

possible to estimate what proportion of visits to non retail service outlets by

Town Hall employees, contribute to overall footfall in the non retail service

sector. At this stage therefore this study can only identify this particular issue

as an area of potential concern. Of course if the Town Hall were to be

reused/redeveloped in accordance with any of the alternative Options listed

above then any such impact would in all likelihood be fully mitigated with

the potential for increased trade for non-retail service outlets from the new

occupiers/employees based on the site.

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Summary and Conclusions

54. Scarborough Borough Council currently occupies approximately 5,500sqm of

office floorspace on a site on the edge of Scarborough Town Centre. The

existing accommodation comprises a mix of historic properties and more

modern extensions. The Council also owns the adjacent car park (0.31ha)

east of King Street.

55. Questionnaire surveys of Council employees and elected members,

undertaken as part of this study in January and May 2012, indicate that on

average these employees each spend just under £69/week on shops in

Scarborough Town centre as well as visiting a wide range of other non retail

service outlets in the town such as banks, building societies, leisure outlets,

professional services etc. Collectively annual employee retail expenditure in

the Town Centre is estimated at approximately £1.24million per annum.

The surveys also indicated however that approximately 19.3% of this

expenditure is likely to be retained within the Town Centre following any

relocation. As a result the ‘net’ loss of retail expenditure from the Town

Centre would be in the region of £1 million pa.

56. The overall retail turnover of shops in Scarborough Town Centre was

estimated in the Council’s 2007 Retail Survey at £145.4 million. Adjusted to

2011 prices the total is £143.1m. A review of retail expenditure growth rates

between 2007 and 2011 indicates that there is unlikely to have been any

significant growth in this figure.

57. Current Town Hall employee expenditure in Scarborough Town Centre is

therefore equivalent to 0.87% of the total retail turnover of shops in the

Town Centre.

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58. If the Borough Council were to relocate the majority of its services and

employees from the Town Hall site to an out of centre location elsewhere in

the Town it is estimated that this could potentially result in the loss of

approximately £1million of retail expenditure from the Town Centre. This is

equivalent to 0.7% of current retail turnover in Scarborough Town Centre.

Whilst this could will have some adverse impact on turnover of shops in the

Town Centre the scale of this ‘loss’, as a proportion of overall retail turnover

in the Town Centre, is very small. It would not therefore result in a significant

adverse impact on the turnover of the shops and the vitality and viability of

Scarborough Town Centre as a whole.

59. Any impact could of course be mitigated, in part or in full, by the re-use

/redevelopment of the Town Hall site and buildings. The Draft Town Hall and

Futurist Development Brief suggest a range of potential acceptable

alternative uses for the site in whole or in part. These include: offices.

residential, retail, commercial, leisure.

60. Using average employment density rates, average expenditure/employee

rates calculated from the Questionnaire and average expenditure /head for

residents taken from the 2007 Retail Study, adjusted to 2011 prices, it is

possible to estimate the potential impact of the re-use /redevelopment of

the Town Hall site under various land use scenarios . Three broad alternative

development scenarios were tested:

Option 1 – Re-use of existing accommodation for offices

Option 2 – Re-use of premises for mixed use of: offices, retail/leisure,

residential and budget hotel + development of 20 apartments on King

Street Car Park site

Option 3 – Re-use of premises for mixed use of offices, retail/leisure,

residential and nee build offices on King Street Car Park site

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61. For all three Options the projected level of retail expenditure from future

employees and residents on site matches or exceeds the level of retail

expenditure generated by the existing use of the site by employees of the

Borough Council.

62. The 2007 Retail Study indicated that Scarborough Town Centre was in good

health especially in terms of its retail offer, although for a centre of its size

and sub regional importance it lacked diversity with a restricted range of

non-retail uses in the centre. This remains a fair description of the vitality

and viability of the centre. The scale of any potential losses of expenditure

from shops in the Town Centre is small in terms of the overall level of trade in

the Town Centre is minor and assuming the Town Hall site can be re-

used/redevelopment for alternative employment, commercial or residential

uses, any adverse impact on overall vitality and viability is likely to be

temporary. Relocation of the Council services from the Town Hall offices also

provides the opportunity to attract other employees and uses into the town

centre which may have the potential to increase retail expenditure in the

town centre and therefore its overall vitality and viability in the long term.

Proposed Relocation of Council Services and … B... · DL3 7EH 01325 469236...

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