2.  The Council had been in negotiations with the previous owners, LXB, and for this reason to a certain extent the ground had already been prepared.

3.  Since Hammersons acquired their holding they have been meeting with Council officers on a regular basis. Generally each month there is a Management meeting attended by Corporate Management Team and other officers as well as a Technical meeting to discuss Planning, Highways and other issues associated with the redevelopment of the centre.

4.  What is proposed is a major expansion and redevelopment of Cramlington town centre. The main reasons for this are; the town centre is presently poorly served in terms of the range of goods offered and representation by a number of national traders, for this reason the town centre does not presently serve the town well and a number of trips have to be made by residents to other centres (principally on Tyneside) for some goods and services, the town centre does not presently include the leisure and other facilities expected to be available in such a centre, and the Borough suffers from a large loss of trade to other centres because of these deficiencies.

5.  A Retail Capacity Study undertaken by the Council demonstrated that a significant amount of trade was being lost to centres outside of the Borough because centres within the Borough (Cramlington and Blyth) were not able to offer the goods, services and choice required by residents.

6.  To address this the recently adopted Core Strategy proposes an additional 28,500 m2 of retail floorspace at Cramlington.

7.  The purpose of the dialogue with Hammersons is to agree development proposals within this recently adopted policy context that will result in a town centre which will be appropriate and sustainable in terms of helping to retain more trade within the Borough, better serve the town and its hinterland, provide a fuller range of services and be accessible and convenient for a range of modes of transport.

8.  Having established an agreed policy justification for the increased retail floorspace, the Council and Hammersons agreed a process to translate that into a planning application for the redevelopment.

9.  Following the presentation to Council on the constraints and opportunities presented by the town centre, the developers have undertaken a comprehensive consultation exercise. This comprised two rounds of workshops, exhibition, advertisements in the press, leaflets and a website. Specific elements of the community have also been invited to take part in the exercise. These include young people, town centre traders, residents living immediately next to the centre (although all residents have been canvassed by way of the press reports and exhibitions), civic and amenity groups.

10.  The consultation exercise raised a number of issues which have informed the next stage of the process. These are explained in more detail in the Concept Statement appended to this report.

11.  Building on this work and following on from the consultation exercise, the developers have prepared the Cramlington Town Centre Concept Statement. The purpose of the statement is to set out the development principles and objectives of the proposal. It will form the basis for the production of a masterplan which in turn provides the framework for a package of planning applications.

12.  The Concept Statement is appended to this report. It covers; Site Context, Planning Policy Context, Public Consultation, Development Principles and Objectives, and Development and Design Framework.

13.  The stated Development Principles are; 

• To improve the range of town centre uses


• To improve the retail and leisure offer including the evening economy


• To improve the existing Manor Walks shopping centre and Westmorland Retail Park


• To improve and retain community facilities


• To improve car parking provision and provide additional car parking


• To improve access to the town centre


• To improve existing and create new pedestrian and cycleway links to the town centre


• To improve linkages with adjacent communities


• To improve public transport accessibility


• To create new public spaces and enhance the town centre


• To provide external and internal signage to the town centre


• To provide public art.

14.  Overall the principle is to create a genuine town centre which integrates the historic, cultural, retail, leisure and community uses into a vibrant and accessible focus for the town and helps Cramlington become a more sustainable community.

15.  The Statement also sets out a framework for the development of the centre and its design, under the headings of; Principal Form of Development, Land Use Mix and Integration, Transport and Accessibility, Public Realm and Built Form and Architecture.

16.  The intention is to extend the existing route established by the shopping centre towards the west, establishing clear destination points at either end. A second sweeping link is also proposed, connecting both these focal points reaching into the southern portion of the site. This will establish a clear pedestrian circuit supplemented by other routes to link with either existing or new access points into the centre.

17.  A number of new linked public spaces, courtyards, landscaped routes and crossing points will be provided to create integrated mixed use environments. The retail park outlets are to be gradually replaced by more fashion orientated traders.  A new retail and leisure quarter is proposed to the south east and a town centre retailing and leisure environment including additional car parking with a department store anchor is proposed to the south west.

18.  It is proposed that the town centre will be served by three of the four existing accesses, the access from Station Road will be closed to cars. The local highway network will be upgraded. Specifically, the Westmorland Way/Station Road roundabout will be improved, a new roundabout will be provided at the Westmorland Way/ Forum Way junction, additional pedestrian crossings will be provided, and a public transport hub will be provided within the centre together with improvements to the bus facilities on Dudley Lane. A multi-storey car park is also proposed near the Westmorland Way/Forum Way junction.

19.  A number of distinct public open spaces offering a wide variety of different experiences will be incorporated into the scheme. A series of new squares will be developed around pedestrian confluence points and these will provide opportunities for public artworks. Street furniture will be incorporated that completes a new suite of coordinated and distinctive signage, benches, seats and cycle racks. The new public realm is intended to be much greener, with deep shelter belts of trees and shrubs fringing the roads which define the town centre, but also with green 'fingers' running along internal roads, footpaths and to break up the car parking areas. The overall environment is intended to be well planned, easily accessible spaces which are safe, well lit, and enjoyable to use. It is also intended that the masterplan will be an exemplar for sustainable design.

20.  The height of new development will be sympathetic to the existing buildings and will not adversely affect local residents. It is intended that the design of the buildings will be modern and contemporary and will enhance the existing character of Cramlington.

21.  The Cramlington Town Centre Concept Statement is one further step in the process towards achieving significant improvements to the town centre. Although it is not a formal policy document, it has been drawn up in light of the recently adopted Core Strategy and after extensive consultation and therefore should be accorded some weight. It will assist with the development of a masterplan against which future planning applications will be drawn up and assessed. It is a useful tool and embodies the shared vision of both the Council and the developers for the future of the town centre.