11.1 Easton is the main shopping and service area on Portland. Its primacy this century has been reinforced by the Tesco supermarket development. Well over half of households on the Island use the shops and services in Easton at least once a week. The centre at Fortuneswell is still identifiable, although the number of businesses has declined significantly, and several former shops and other business spaces have been converted. The community still recognises both centres and hopes that each can establish and sustain a relevant role at the heart of the community. This role will also need to relate to the demands of visitors and tourists if it is to be sustainable. To this end, Fortuneswell for instance is being viewed favourably by the Island’s arts fraternity, and the community recognise it has the potential to develop more cafes and restaurants. An improved evening economy would be welcomed at both centres.
11.2 Castletown and Chiswell still have identifiable retail/commercial areas, albeit far less vibrant than in former days. The Castletown Regeneration Project is aiming to re-establish a vibrant, busy commercial centre with historical attractions celebrating the rich history of Castletown including an American-themed ‘D-Day’ attraction and several marine business units for the local fishing industry. The local shops at Weston are still regarded as being an important neighbourhood asset.
11.3 Portland is not self-sufficient in community services. There are concerns particularly that health services may become more distant just when most people would like to see them more localised and convenient, particularly because the population is ageing, and most people want to stay on Portland.
11.4 The community would like to keep a full range of local shops and services on the Island offering quality goods and services for both residents and visitors.
| Shopping and Services | |
|---|---|
| Aim | Support the shopping areas and service functions |
| Objectives |
|
Policy No. Port/SS1 Reinforcing Local and Neighbourhood Centres
A. Development proposals affecting the following ‘local’ centres (as identified in the Local Plan), delineated on Map 12:
will be considered against Policy ECON4 of the Local Plan.
B. Development proposals within the following ‘neighbourhood’ centres, delineated on Map 12:
that add to the diversity of facilities and services and enhance the vitality and viability of the centres will generally be supported.
The loss of existing business premises (Use Classes A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, and C1) within neighbourhood centres will be resisted unless an equivalent replacement facility is provided within the centre, or where it is demonstrated that the continued operation of a business or service is no longer financially viable. If a specific business or service is no longer financially viable, a use from the range of acceptable Use Classes should be sought for the premises.
11.5 In accordance to the findings of the Portland Heritage and Character Assessment of 2017 and consultations, we have delineated four areas of the Island that should continue to be recognised as the focus for shopping and services. The areas are shown on Map 12.
11.6 The community response to the 1st Consultation Version of the Portland Neighbourhood Plan drew a significant amount of support for policies that would help safeguard and revitalise all the centres. The Town Council in association with the Portland Community Partnership will continue to find ways to encourage local people to travel less far and frequent their use of the local centres. The Portland Passport, a shopping loyalty scheme, is just one of the initiatives being introduced.
11.7 The NPPF (para. 91) urges us to “create…. strong neighbourhood centres”. The NPPF (para. 92) says we should “ensure that established shops, facilities and services are able to develop and modernise in a way that is sustainable and retained for the benefit of the community”. In accordance with the Economic Strategy for Portland, we intend that the centres should develop an improved offer to suit local people and serve visitors/tourists. “Tourism is a key driver to the economy of Portland. We need to build on the natural environment and ‘uniqueness’ of Portland. We want to establish Portland as a world-class destination in which visitor will experience a superb product and quality of service.” Policy SO2 of the Economic Strategy is “to support the sustainable growth of the visitor economy, which celebrates the unique strengths of Portland, supports jobs and generates business opportunities”. The local and neighbourhood centres can play their part, which should include reinforcing their own identities and prime purposes. Fortuneswell has already seem the embryo-development of new cafes and restaurants and cultural-related retailing, which hopefully will be stimulated further with its recognition by the Local Plan as a key local centre. Chiswell and Castletown have plenty of development potential and opportunities for tourism-related development and a unique maritime setting to exploit. By seeking to reinforce the role of Chiswell and Castletown as neighbourhood centres, we are highlighting the significance of economic viability considerations as a factor in future flood defence planning.
11.8 Development and redevelopment proposals within all four centres should be mindful of the requirements of other policies in the Neighbourhood Plan, such as Port/EN7, which seek to ensure that local character and distinction is safeguarded and enhanced. The local planning authority is producing a shop front design guide that applies across the neighbourhood area. Along with the Portland Heritage and Character Assessment of 2017, this should be an important source of guidance for developers.
Nb. Larger-scale location plans for each centre can be found in the Map Appendix
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