Retail (A class) development (2011/2012 – 2018/2019)

Monitoring changes in A3 Use Class

Use Class A3 - restaurants and cafés.

Completions

In the period 2011-2018 there has been a net gain of around 8,100sqm of A3 floorspace through completions.

A significant proportion of the A3 floorspace delivered has been in the financial years 2016/17 and 2018/19. In the financial year 2016/17 a number of applications in the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) have contributed substantially to the net increase of A3 floorpsace; Castle Industrial Estate (08/AP/2403) 924 sqm net, Railway Arches South of Southwark Street (14/AP/4721) 580 sqm net, and Land Adjacent to Lambeth College & Potters Fields (10/AP/1935) 304 sqm net. In the financial year 2018/19 One Blackfriars (12/AP/1784) contributed 616 sqm net, Tower Bridge Magistrates Court And Police Station (15/AP/3303) 630 sqm net, 128-150 Blackfriars Road (14/AP/1862) 407 sqm net.

The completion of applications delivering under 1,000 sqm net (and gross) of A3 has contributed to nearly all of net gain in A3 floorspace across the time period. Completions data show that across the period, 100 sqm net of A3 floorspace was delivered through applications proposing over 1000 sqm of A3 floorspace, whilst 8,005 sqm net was delivered though applications proposing less than 1000 sqm of A3 floorspace.

Table 7- Net and gross completions of schemes involving A3 floorspace

Approvals

In the period 2011-2018 there has been a net gain of around 22,364sqm of A3 floorspace through approvals.  Around 9% of applications involving A3 floorspace have expired over the last 10 years, so there is not a particularly high lapse rate of applications.

A significant proportion of the A3 floorspace in the pipeline has been contributed by major schemes approved in the financial years 2012/13, 2013/14, 2016/17 and 2018/19. In the 2012/13 financial year the following application Elephant Park (12/AP/1092) was approved delivering 3,350 sqm net. In the 2013/14 financial year the following applications were approved: Canada Water Sites C and E (12/AP/4126) delivering 1,088 sqm net and Artworks (13/AP/2927) delivering 982 sqm net. In the financial year 2016/17 the redevelopment of Bank End (15/AP/3066) delivering 2795 sqm net. In the financial year 2018/19, the approval of Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre (16/AP/4458) delivering 1336 sqm net and the redevelopment of 18 Blackfriars Road bounded by Stamford Street (16/AP/5239) 1604 sqm net.

Dissimilar to completions over the same period, just over half of approved A3 floorspace has been through applications proposing more than 1000 sqm of A3 floorspace. Across the period, 11,794 sqm net of A3 floorspace was approved through applications proposing over 1000 sqm of A1 floorspace, whilst 10,570 sqm net was approved though applications proposing less than 1000 sqm of A3 floorspace.

Table 8 - Net and gross approvals of schemes involving A3 floorspace

Page last updated: 05 April 2023