Policy KET2 Town Centre Land Use Mix
The Neighbourhood Plan identifies the Town Centre, as shown on the Policies Map. The following land use mix will be permitted in these locations, subject to conformity with other policies of the Development Plan, as follows:
- Proposals that will improve the viability and vitality of the shopping frontages in Sheep Street, Market Place, Market Street, High Street, Gold Street, Silver Street, Horsemarket, Montagu Street, Newlands Street and Lower Street, will be supported. Where planning permission or prior approval is required, proposals to change the use of the ground floor of a building with an existing active frontage in these locations to a residential or other non-active frontage use will be resisted.
- Market Place serves a social function with a restaurant/cafe and public realm focus which serves the local community during the day and is the cornerstone of the evening economy. Proposals for new town centre uses, particularly eateries or experiential businesses which support the evening economy in this area will be supported.
- London Road, Eskdaill Street and Rockingham Road comprise a mix of retail, commercial and business, service uses. Proposed change of use to residential, including at ground floor level, may be acceptable where retention of a town-centre use is no longer viable provided the design is in keeping with the surrounding area. Any loss of public parking spaces serving the town centre in these locations should be re-provided elsewhere in Central Kettering.
- All development proposals are encouraged to include measures to support and improve the public realm, particularly where it will which will encourage a longer dwell time, including opportunities for play and entertainment.
- All development proposals within or adjoining the Conservation Area must demonstrate that their layout, design and architecture reflect its historic character.
Supporting Text
- Market towns, such as Kettering have traditionally thrived around their blend of history, local culture and vibrancy of their communities, drawn together through the provision of goods and services which could be procured from the town centre. The heritage assets in the Town Centre are clearly a headline attraction, recognised and appreciated by the community. The KNP will seek to navigate a path through preserving and enhancing not just the key landmark buildings but the wider heritage assets across the town centre and their setting through reuse and repurposing whilst promoting an attractive, fit for purpose streetscape to help revitalise the town centre so it can respond to its changing function, without losing its core purpose.
- This policy provides a high-level spatial approach to ensuring that the defined town centre fulfils its role as a core retail focus for the wider town but also functions as its social and community heart; a place to bring people together to work, shop, visit and live. It defines the vision to create a vibrant mixed-use town centre, incorporating retail, commercial, culture, leisure, hospitality, residential uses (including potentially live/work units) in a more verdant, accessible and sustainable setting with a focus on wellbeing.
- Kettering Town Centre is a traditional market town that will be boosted by the redevelopment of key buildings, defined in KET1. With more people living in and around the town centre and with the development of Hanwood Park, the town should be able to maintain the current number of retail units in the High Street and primary shopping frontage. Additional high quality cultural and social spaces will encourage creativity and community, more multiuse flexible and attractive public realm spaces designed for different uses at different times of the day, building on the success of Market Place, will encourage more people to visit and stay longer. The community is also keen to promote high quality public art within these spaces.
- Since the adoption of the Kettering Town Centre Area Action Plan in July 2011 (KTCAAP) which defined the extent of the Kettering Town Centre area and its respective primary and shopping frontages, there have been significant changes in working and shopping habits which will continue require town centre evolution. As such, this policy seeks to address these changes which have seen the emergence of brands that are experience-driven and those that are connected with, and serve the local community coupled with an overall contraction in demand for purely retail space. Town Centre uses now need to be more flexible, dynamic and demand for local concepts may require changes to traditional approaches to the definition of the “High Street.”
- Kettering Town Centre has in some ways been ahead of the curve for some time. Historically it is a location which has always supported a mix of land uses including side streets of residential development to provide footfall from those living as well as those visiting the town centre. In a pedestrian friendly primary shopping area, where private vehicles is mostly absent, active travel opportunities, including a well-situated bus interchange, an excellent public realm space in the restaurant quarter and opportunities for pockets parks and green spaces connected to the centre of town, enables the town to respond to these changes, without radical intervention. Whilst the new “residential quarter” envisaged by the KTCAAP has not been realised, additional residential development in identified locations such as London Road, Rockingham Road and Eskdaill Street, will enable the opportunity to maintain the Town Centre as highly sustainable as well as seeking to deliver an overall improvement in areas which are underused or detract from the overall appearance of the town. In some cases, it is hoped that residential development will also unlock public realm, social and community infrastructure improvements including new cultural facilities in the town centre.
- Flexibility is critical, due to the shift, post covid, of people living and working locally. More people are shopping, working and exercising in their local community and as such the policy does not seek to be overly prescriptive but seeks to protect the core retail function of the town centre within the primary retail area whilst enabling the town centre to become a community hub, supporting opportunities to live well, interact and promote sustainable living.
- Market Place is a great example of a multipurpose animated public realm space with its seating, stage and fountains. This example could be built on to include the introduction of more family friendly public realm spaces in other parts of the town centre such as Bakehouse Hill, including more play, interactive learning, public art and creative experiences, in a relaxed, safe environment, enabling people to socialise with attractive seating areas and green spaces.
- There are also potential meanwhile uses of the Town Centre which are outside of the scope of the Neighbourhood Plan but could provide short term benefits whilst seeking to engage with investors and developers in the longer-term vision for the town, including the High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs) government initiative aimed at tackling long-term vacant shops. Introduced in the Levelling up and Regeneration Act (2023), NNC has signed up as an Early Adopter and there should be opportunities within Kettering to auction off leases for properties that have been empty for over a year, encouraging local businesses, independents, and community projects to take a leading role in revitalising the town centre.
- Other “meanwhile” uses such as pop ups, temporary community uses including a neighbourhood health centre/medical or even window displays and dressings will demonstrate to potential investors in the town centre that is welcoming and proactive will be supported and will help boost short term footfall
Policy Map
To see the full Kettering Central Neighbourhood Plan Policy Map, or to find instructions about how to use our interactive maps, please visit our Policy Map page.
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