City Centre Retail Strategy - Edinburgh

Item no

Report no

City Centre Retail Strategy

The City of Edinburgh Council 30 June 2011

1 Purpose of report

1.1 To present the findings of the research and consultation undertaken following the Council decision of June 2010 arising from a motion by Councillor Beckett on aggressive marketing tactics and the wider city centre retail offer.

1.2 To recommend that Council approves the proposed immediate actions for

addressing aggressive marketing tactics, approves the wider actions as the basis for developing a long-term City Centre Retail Strategy to support the continued strengthening of Edinburgh’s city centre retail offer.

2 Summary

2.1 In June 2010, the Council agreed to investigate what measures the Council could take in order to address the aggressive marketing tactics of tourist shops, in particular those on the Royal Mile, and to improve and diversify the retail offer across the city centre. The motion resolved to consult with local residents and businesses and develop ways in which the issues would be resolved.

2.2 A cross-departmental working group was set up to fulfil this requirement, and

this report presents the outcome of the group’s research and consultation, and makes recommendations on how to proceed.

2.3 The group identified seven immediate actions that can be undertaken to

address aggressive marketing tactics and other amenity issues, and 28 wider actions to contribute to the overall city centre retail offer.

2.4 These actions are detailed in the attached City Centre Retail Strategy Actions

Paper.

13 Main report

1780221

Text Box

8.6 CEC/16/11-12/CD

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Council Motion

3.1 In June 2010, the Council approved a motion to investigate (i) how the Council can address the aggressive marketing tactics of tourist shops, in particular those on the Royal Mile, and (ii) what can be done to improve the retail offer across the city centre. The motion required consultation with local residents and businesses and the development of ways in which the issues would be resolved. The text of the motion is set out in Appendix 1.

3.2 A cross-departmental working group was set up to discharge the requirements

of the motion. The group had representatives from a variety of different services, including:

Planning Services for Communities Legal Services Property Management Economic Development.

3.3 The group focussed on bringing together and aligning the existing initiatives and projects run by different services in relation to the city centre, investigating the legislative powers available to the Council and whether there were any additional powers which could be utilised and identifying new actions that could be taken to help address the issues identified in the Motion.

3.4 Local residents, business groups and other key stakeholders were consulted on

the resulting range of proposed actions, and their feedback is attached in Appendix 2.

3.5 Following consultation, the package of proposed actions were amended and

developed into the City Centre Retail Strategy Action Paper, which is attached as Appendix 3.

Developing a City Centre Retail Strategy

3.6 The Actions Paper is split into two sections:

(i) Immediate actions that can be taken to address aggressive marketing tactics and other amenity issues, and

(ii) Wider actions that cover the wide range of elements which contribute to the overall city centre retail offer.

3.7 Research found that there is limited opportunity for the expansion of

enforcement action against unpopular marketing techniques. Nonetheless, there are actions that can be taken to help develop and improve the city centre retail offer, and the group identified nine immediate actions and 29 wider actions for development. It is considered that this package of actions will have a positive impact on the City Centre retail environment. The main actions are as follows:

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Immediate Actions

Address aggressive marketing techniques through a Marketing Practices Agreement and by enforcing leases on Council-owned shop units;

Control large signage through planning enforcement. Wide Actions for Development

Improve the balance of retail types through the Council's letting policy; Improve the balance of wider commercial uses through planning policy; Develop and promote the retail offer by working with Marketing Edinburgh,

Essential Edinburgh and retailers to develop separate marketing strategies for Princes Street and the Old Town;

Support existing and proposed BIDs and consider whether a BID should be set up for the Old Town;

Assess opportunities to improve retail-related car parking and connectivity through bus routes;

Improve the appearance of the retail environment through better shopfront design, public realm and pedestrian signage.

A full list of the actions identified is set out in the Appendix of the Action Paper. 3.8 It should be noted that many of the actions identified cannot be achieved solely

by the Council, instead requiring collaborative partnership working between the relevant stakeholders to develop and bring about a shared vision for the city centre.

3.9 It is proposed that the identified actions are used as the basis for developing a

City Centre Retail Strategy, covering both Old and New Town retail areas. The Strategy will enable the development of appropriate new projects and support the continuation of existing ones. A prime function of the Strategy will be to provide an overview of the work that the Council does to support and develop the city centre, and act as a tool to support better co-ordination between different Council departments and relevant external organisations.

3.10 It is noted that a charette is proposed to discuss the wider issues relating to

management and promotion of the Royal Mile. The outcomes of this exercise will complement and build on the Retail Strategy actions identified in the accompanying report.

4 Financial Implications

4.1 The majority of the proposed actions will not have direct financial implications. Expanding existing projects and developing new projects will have staff resource implications, particularly in regard to increasing enforcement action under the Roads Act.

5 Equalities Impact

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5.1 There is no direct equalities impact arising from this report. 6 Environmental Impact

6.1 There are no negative environmental impacts arising from this report. The actions proposed would improve the Environment of Edinburgh’s city centre.

7 Conclusions

7.1 The Council has limited statutory powers to address concerns about aggressive marketing tactics and the retail offer.

7.2 Nonetheless, there are a number of actions that the Council can take to support

the city’s retail offer in reaching its potential. These include continuing existing actions undertaken by a variety of Council services; rolling out of recently completed or current pilot projects; and developing proposed new projects. This work covers a wide range of issues including implementing public realm improvements, investigating bus route and parking improvements, re-considering the appropriate balance of retail and food and drink uses in shopping areas, and where necessary utilising the Council’s enforcement powers under the Roads and Planning Acts.

7.3 The most significant impact the Council can have on aggressive marketing

tactics and the wider retail offer will be through initiating and co-ordinating constructive and collaborative partnerships between the various stakeholders, to develop mutually beneficial ways to develop and bring about a shared vision of how the city centre should be.

8 Recommendations

8.1 It is recommended that the Council:

approves the proposed immediate actions for addressing aggressive marketing tactics;

approves the wider actions as the basis for developing a long-term City

Centre Retail Strategy to support the continued strengthening of Edinburgh’s city centre retail offer; and

notes the limitations of the Council’s powers in regard to some of the areas of

concern.

Dave AndersonDirector of City Development

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Council Motion on City Centre Retail Appendix 2: List of consultees Appendix 3: City Centre Retail Strategy Action Paper

Contact/tel

Alison Morris 0131 529 6235

Wards affected

City Centre

Background Papers

Response from stakeholder consultation

AM/FM/COMMS/CEC - City Centre Retail Strategy 7 June 2011

APPENDIX 1 Council Motion On 24 June 2010, Full Council approved a motion on retail outlets in the city centre. The motion stated:

Council recognises the requirement for a balance in retail use in the Old Town in order that the long term needs of city centre residents are considered while also providing for those visiting the city so as to ensure retention of a living city centre. Council also notes the proliferation of retail units selling tourist memorabilia on the Royal Mile and recognises the concerns expressed over the variety and quality of the retailing environment along with the resulting drop in amenity for local residents. Council therefore resolves to consult with local residents and the local business community, along with other stakeholders such as Visit Scotland and DEMA to seek their views on the future of the retail offering in the city centre with special reference to the Royal Mile and Princes Street in order to develop ways in which the retail offer can be improved. Council also calls for a report which details the legal constraints that would limit any action that could be proposed and further seeks clarification on which bye-laws could be implemented and any planning or legal restrictions that would assist in addressing any problems identified.

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APPENDIX 2 List of consultees A range of relevant stakeholder groups were invited to attend the consultation event. Representative from the following groups attended the main consultation event or alternative consultation meetings: Community groups Old Town Community Council New Town and Broughton Community Council City Centre Neighbourhood Partnership Traders Chamber of Commerce Retail Policy Group Essential Edinburgh George Street Traders Association Federation of Small Businesses Investor/Visitor representatives Visit Scotland Jones Lang LaSalle Heritage groups Edinburgh World Heritage Historic Scotland

City Centre Retail Strategy Action Paper

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Appendix 3 City Centre Retail Strategy Action paper

City Centre Retail Strategy

Action Paper

June 2011

Contents

1. Edinburgh’s retail context

2. Council Motion

3. Developing a City Centre Retail Strategy

4. Immediate actions: aggressive marketing tactics

Goods for sale being displayed on pavements and shopfronts

Control of large signage

5. Wider actions to be developed: future of retail offer

Balance of retail uses

Balance of wider commercial uses

Developing and promoting Edinburgh’s retail offer

Enhancing the appearance of the retail environment

6. Conclusion

7. Next steps

Appendix: List of proposed actions


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1 Edinburgh’s retail context

1.1 Edinburgh is a historic capital city renowned across the world for its architecture and culture, a place which inspires its residents and visitors alike. The neighbouring Old and New Towns provide two separate retail “high streets”: the medieval Royal Mile and the Georgian Princes Street.

1.2 Edinburgh is a highly rated and very attractive city, with residents and visitors enjoying its architecture, heritage, green spaces, festivals, culture, restaurants and pubs. The city has a wide range of shopping areas and shops, including national, international and independent retailers. The city regularly wins “best city” awards, most recently Favourite UK City in the Guardian/Observer Travel Awards 2010, for the 11th year in a row. Nonetheless, in recent years concerns have been raised about a number of aspects of Edinburgh’s retail offer, including its reduced UK retail ranking, and there is a wide perception that Edinburgh’s retail experience is not as good as those of other UK cities. Key to this perception are the problems faced by the city’s two most prominent retail streets.

1.3 The Royal Mile, artery of the Old Town, is home to shops, restaurants, flats, pubs, hotels, civic buildings and a cathedral, creating a vibrant mix. The street has been a magnet for visitors to the city for hundreds of years. However, the shops catering for tourists have increasingly dominated the street. Its character, to an extent has changed, predominantly through the increased use of aggressive marketing tactics such as hanging goods on the shopfronts, placing goods on the pavement and playing music into the street. This has resulted in a perception that the Royal Mile has become a one-dimensional street catering for a specific and limited tourist market with no provision for locals or other visitors. It has led to concerns about a reduction in quality of the retail offer and environment, and of the amenity of the residents.

1.4 In the New Town, Princes Street has long been a key commercial thoroughfare, with a focus on established national “high street/ multiple” retailers. However, many of the upper floors of the street’s historic buildings are lying empty and neglected. Work is ongoing to encourage regeneration of the street, focusing upon comprehensive proposals for blocks and utilising all floors of the buildings for appropriate uses. However, as vacancies occur, they are often let on a short-term basis. Many of these units engage in the same aggressive marketing tactics as evidenced on the Royal Mile, leading to a similar drop in the quality of the retail environment.

2 Council Motion

2.1 In response to these issues, in June 2010, the Council approved a motion to investigate (i) how the Council can address the aggressive marketing tactics of tourist shops, in particular those on the Royal Mile, and (ii) what can be done to improve the retail offer across the city centre. The motion required consultation with local residents and businesses and the development of ways in which the issues would be resolved.


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2.2 A cross-departmental working group was set up to discharge the requirements of the motion. The group had representatives from a variety of different services, including:

Planning

Services for Communities

Legal Services

Property Management

Economic Development

2.3 The work of the group involved:

Identifying existing projects and actions and the legislation through which they are governed;

Undertaking research to identify any additional legislative powers, different approaches, or other ways of taking action that could support the Council in addressing the issues raised;

Bringing these findings together to create a set of comprehensive proposals; and

Consulting with key stakeholders on the proposals and revising/adding to the proposals to take account of their feedback.

3 Developing a City Centre Retail Strategy

3.1 The resultant proposals are divided into two sections: Immediate actions which can be taken to address aggressive marketing tactics, and wider actions which can be developed to address the wide range of elements that contribute to the City Centre Retail Offer.

3.2 These actions will form the basis of a City Centre Retail Strategy, covering both the Old and New Town retail areas. The Strategy will enable the development of appropriate new projects, support the continuation of existing ones and provide an overview of the work carried out by different departments under different legislative requirements and powers. The Strategy will also provide a useful picture of the wide variety of work that the Council does to support and develop the city centre, and help ensure that relevant parties work together in a co-ordinated manner.

3.3 The Strategy will be targeted at improving the retail environment and experience for all users of the city centre, including retailers, residents, workers, tourists and wider city region residents.


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3.4 To be effective, the Strategy will need to be a collaborative partnership between the Council, the business community, land owners and agents and other relevant stakeholders. It should be noted that many of the actions identified cannot be enforced through legislation. As a result there will be actions for which the Council’s role will be predominantly co-ordinating a constructive collaboration between relevant parties to bring about a shared vision of how the city centre should be. Where legislation allows and the situation requires, this collaborative approach will be supported by enforcement action.

3.5 A full list of the proposed actions is set out in the Appendix.

4 Immediate actions: aggressive marketing tactics

4.1 Aggressive marketing tactics cause individual shops to have a disproportionate dominance over a street, through noise, display of goods and signage. It should be noted that many aspects of public concern about aggressive marketing tactics are outwith the Council’s powers of control. For example, the Council has no legislative powers to stop noise from speakers playing music into the street, provided the decibel level of the music is below the Noise Nuisance threshold.

4.2 In addition, there is no single piece of legislation that addresses the remaining issues. Nonetheless, it is considered that the package of actions identified would have a positive impact on the character of the Royal Mile and other affected streets.

Goods for sale being displayed on pavements and shopfronts

4.3 Rails of clothes and other large items sited on the pavement outside shops cause an obstruction to the pavement, in contravention of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. Where shops refuse to remove these items, the City Centre Neighbourhood Team remove the offending items and charge the costs of the removal to the shop owner (currently assessed as £50 per removal).

4.4 However, this legislation is a very blunt tool, because it requires an all-or-nothing approach. The Act does not enable assessment of the amenity impact of goods on the pavement, and so does not allow for a judgement about whether items are causing harm or benefit (for example, traditional items on pavements, such as flowers, are often seen as contributing to the character and vitality of a shopping street). Under the Roads Act, all goods on the pavement must be treated equally, regardless of whether they have a positive or negative effect, and as a result, if enforcement under the Roads Act is increased in order to reduce the negative impact of the aggressive marketing tactics, this will also contribute to the reduction of positive items within the street scene.

4.5 Additionally, enforcement and charging have been shown to be not particularly strong deterrents to aggressive marketing tactics.

4.6 As a result of the above, it is considered that an alternative approach may prove more practical and successful. It is proposed to work with all the shop owners


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on the Royal Mile, Princes Street and their environs to negotiate a joint agreement about marketing practices, including music, to which all parties would sign up. The benefit of this approach is the building of constructive relationships with shop owners. This will enable shop owners and the Council to work together to develop solutions that are acceptable to everyone, that can be maintained without continuous and resource-intensive enforcement action and which ensures every shop is on a level footing so that trade and businesses are not adversely affected.

4.7 It is noted that the effectiveness of the Marketing Practices Agreement will need to be closely monitored, and the Council will need to ensure that shop owners are aware that if the agreement does not prove successful the Council will have to revert to stringent enforcement action.

4.8 If the Marketing Practices Agreement proves unsuccessful, it may be possible to increase the impact of this action through periods of increased frequency, such as taking action twice a day for a month.

4.9 Goods which are hung on shopfronts cannot be controlled by either Roads or Planning legislation, as they do not obstruct the highway and are not permanent fixed features. However, Section 45 of the City of Edinburgh District Council Order Confirmation Act 1991 (the Act is most commonly used for statutory notices) empowers the Council to require the removal of any articles which are exposed for sale or hire on a property, its curtilage or its boundaries, if those articles are having a detrimental impact on the amenity of the locality or are causing danger, obstruction or inconvenience to the public. It should be noted however, that the Act does not empower the Council to carry out direct action and remove items where a shop owner has failed to comply with this requirement. Failure to comply would be a criminal offence and the Council could take individual cases to the Procurator Fiscal. It is likely that, in this event the offender would not be prosecuted but would be issued with a fine.

4.10 Where the Council owns a shop unit, it may be possible to use the conditions of lease to restrict aggressive marketing. The Council owns 45 shop units on the Royal Mile. These leases tend to include clauses that require the shop owners to undertake no use that may make a nuisance, cause annoyance or disturbance to the landlord or proprietors of neighbouring properties, be detrimental to the amenity of the area, or undertake any noisy trade, nor to display any advertising or store any materials outside the boundary of the shop (or wording of that nature).

4.11 On Princes Street, the Council does not own any property, and ownerships are held mostly by institutional funds. Aggressive marketing practices are often the result of short-term lets and sublets, which have a detrimental impact on the retail environment and undermine the regeneration efforts. Discussions with the owners’ agents on how this could be addressed, including the use of leases to control inappropriate marketing practices, could help find a solution.


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4.12 The Council’s Planning policies require that shopfront signage is well-designed to complement the architectural design of the shopfront, and to avoid over-large and synthetic signs that obscure the architectural features and character of the shopfront. However, the Advertisement Regulations allow most shopfront signage to be put up without needing consent, and in a number of areas in the city, including the Royal Mile, this has resulted in inappropriate advertisements and a consequent downgrading of the local environment.

4.13 Illuminated signage requires consent, and it could be beneficial to undertake a survey to identify whether there are non-compliant illuminated advertisements within the city centre. Planning Enforcement could be undertaken for any identified breaches of Planning control of this nature.

4.14 The Advertisement Regulations allow Council to make local restrictions, which could require that all new shopfront signage requires consent. In addition, in cases where existing signs are causing significant harm to the character of the shop and the area, the Council can require them to be removed and replaced with more appropriate signage. The Scottish Government is currently considering the Council’s request that this type of restriction be imposed on the Royal Mile.

5 Wider actions to be developed: Future of retail offer

5.1 This section sets out a longer-term vision for Edinburgh’s city centre retail offer, as a high quality environment offering a range of goods and services appropriate to a capital city, with a variety of retailers ranging from independent stores to multinationals. The range of existing and proposed initiatives will provide a foundation for developing a comprehensive cross-departmental strategy for achieving the city’s vision.

Balance of retail types

5.2 Over the past 20-30 years, the Royal Mile has undergone substantial regeneration and has become a key tourist thoroughfare. There remains a wide range of retail and other commercial uses on the Royal Mile, a breakdown of which is set out below. There are 159 commercial properties on the Royal Mile. Of these:

10% is day-to-day retail, including newsagent/grocers, bank, pharmacy, off-licence and charity shops.

32% is specialist retail: a wide range of shop types including specialist Scottish goods as well as jewellery, antiques, art, and music.

28% is food and drink, including sandwich bars, cafes, coffee houses, pubs, bars and restaurants.

9% is hotels, hostels and visitor attractions.


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The remaining 21% are retail units serving the visitor trade. The majority of these (91%) are memorabilia shops, of which 87% utilise aggressive marketing tactics.

5.3 Overall, this means that 17% of the commercial units on the Royal Mile are currently subject to aggressive marketing tactics. These units do have a disproportionate impact on the character of the street, particularly in areas of high concentration such as the Lawnmarket. The figures show that the Royal Mile continues to serve both locals and visitors, however, it is clear that the balance has changed over the years, shifting to a greater emphasis towards shops serving a particular section of the tourist trade.

5.4 Nonetheless, it is important to note that the Council cannot control the type of goods that shops sell (except where a license is required), and has no direct means of controlling the balance of different shops in the Royal Mile or any other shopping street: The Planning Use Classes Order groups building uses into defined classes. Shops are grouped together into Class 1, which is defined as “the sale of goods other than hot food where the sale, display or service is principally to visiting members of the public”. Because all shops are grouped within the same use class, consent is not required to change a shop unit from one type of shop to another, and the planning process consequently has very limited control over who can own or occupy a shop unit.

5.5 Where the Council owns a shop unit, then greater control over the type of shop operating from that unit may be available under the Disposal of Land by Local Authorities (Scotland) Regulations 2010. This allows local authorities to grant leases for rental incomes which are less than the highest available. Previously, local authorities required the consent of the Scottish Ministers before they could do this.

5.6 Councils are required to get “best value” from their leases. Traditionally, this has been taken to mean the highest income. However, a local authority can now accept a lower than highest offer if it is satisfied that (i) the rent payable is reasonable and (ii) that a lease at a particular rent is likely to contribute to the promotion or improvement of economic development or regeneration or health or social or environmental well-being for the whole or part of the area of the local authority or any persons resident or present in that area.

5.7 This means that it would be possible for the Council to take a decision to rent a shop to a retailer which indicated that they would put the premises to a certain use, e.g. a baker or greengrocer, but has offered to pay a lower rent than another party whose proposed use would be likely to consist of or include the sale of, for instance, tourist memorabilia.

5.8 It should be noted that the restriction of leases to specific and potentially less profitable retail uses would reduce the rental income for that property. Furthermore, a reduction in the rent for an individual unit could have an impact on the market value of other Council-owned properties due to the valuation methods used for rent review. This could have a cumulative impact on the Council’s rental income.


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5.9 An alternative approach may be to take a specific community-based approach with those Council-owned retail units that belong to the Housing Revenue Account [HRA]. These could be managed separately as a community resource with the purpose of contributing to the Housing aim of supporting a living city centre with a balance of retail types which support both the local community and tourists.

Balance of wider commercial uses

5.10 Planning policy requires that ground floor commercial units on Princes Street and parts of its side streets are used solely for shop use. This is designed to maintain footfall and thereby the vitality and viability of what was the city’s main shopping street. However, it may now be that the regeneration of the street could be supported and its vibrancy increased through the modification of the policies to allow other commercial uses, such as cafes. The forthcoming Local Development Plan will provide opportunity for such a review and reassessment of this policy.

5.11 Concerns have also been raised about increasing number of food and drink outlets in the Royal Mile area. Where these operate within Class 1 shop use, no planning consents are required. Concerns have been raised that sandwich shops (which fall within the Class 1 retail use) can sometimes operate as class 3 café/restaurant or the separately classed hot food takeaway, without applying for or being granted formal planning consent. During the consultation for this paper, concerns were raised by local amenity groups that the Council’s current planning policies allow too many food and drink outlets in the area, and that this is harmful to the balance of shop uses.

5.12 Where necessary, Planning can take enforcement action to ensure that rood and drink outlets comply with the restrictions of their permitted use class. In addition, the balance of shop use and other commercial uses, such as food and drink, in the wider Old Town area can be considered through the forthcoming Local Development Plan.

Developing and promoting Edinburgh’s retail offer

5.13 Key to developing and promoting Edinburgh’s retail offer will be partnership working between the Council and other relevant organisations, including Marketing Edinburgh, Visit Scotland, the business community, and Essential Edinburgh. The new Zone Managers will enable the Council to facilitate and promote the retail proposals set out below.

5.14 The existing large retailers in the city centre are the base on which Edinburgh’s retail offer can be developed and extended, and it is important to ensure that they recognise Edinburgh as a place which is suitable for flagship stores in which they will be able to achieve their retail intentions.

5.15 A key facet of improving Edinburgh’s retail offer will be increasing the number of stores and thereby the choice and variety of goods available. On Princes Street and George Street, and the new St James Quarter, there is great potential for


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bringing in new high street and upmarket national retail chains, helping Edinburgh compete with other popular shopping cities. In other parts of the city, including the Royal Mile, New Town lanes and the many local centres, new local and independent entrants to the retail market will support and strengthen the individual character of those areas and the range of high quality goods available, making them even more desirable places to visit. Retail agents should be able to help deliver this aspiration.

5.16 Analysis and promotion of Edinburgh’s different retail areas, their particular characteristics, and how the areas connect up, would help promote the city as a retail destination to locals and visitors alike. It is noted that the different areas have very different retail propositions and are affected by different issues, and so will require separate strategies. The proposed Grassmarket and West End Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) could assist with this.

5.17 The Royal Mile is a unique street with a strong character and identity, drawing visitors to it from around the world. It is, and will continue to be a tourist destination, however it should not be dominated by one particular type of tourist trade, and it should also support local residential needs and provide Edinburgh residents and visitors with quality goods and services. Much of this is already the case, however there is an opportunity to market the street to substantially improve awareness of what it has to offer, to encourage additional high end quality independent retailers and to increase footfall and thereby bring in additional trade to the shops without the need for aggressive marketing tactics.

5.18 There may be an opportunity to develop a Business Improvement District (BID) for the Royal Mile or wider Old Town, which could link in with the planned Grassmarket BID.

5.19 The Council could also look to support the local community through allowing empty Council-owned retail units to be utilised for temporary community, arts or other cultural uses.

5.20 It is also very important to remember that people often shop in Edinburgh as a by-product of being here for other purposes, such as concerts, exhibitions, architecture or dining. This is particularly true for people who would not go to a place that was solely retail, and will include groups where some individuals may wish to shop and others may not. Places whose identity is based solely on retail will not attract these groups. There are a number of ways in which the city’s cultural identity can be used to help promote and improve the appearance of its retail offer. This could involve utilising empty units as pop-up cultural or community events. There is significant potential to link opportunities for people to enjoy both retail and cultural activities while using the city centre, for example in linking gallery opening hours and restaurant offers with late night shopping.

5.21 A key way that the Council can support the city’s retailers is by working together to identify ways to bring more people into the city centre.

5.22 Edinburgh has an award-winning bus service connecting all parts of the city with the city centre. Nonetheless, independent retailers continue to be concerned


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that it is difficult for shoppers to get into the city. Improvement of the retail offer will have a positive impact on the number of shoppers coming into the city centre, however it may be that development of appropriate transport initiatives could help support this. For example, there may be opportunity to reassess the short and longer-term on-street parking opportunities in retail areas. Additionally, it may be possible to improve the retail connectivity through developing or altering bus routes around the city (although it should be noted that buses are operated on a commercial basis). Any transport-related actions will require detailed research and co-ordinated action by the Council and public transport operators.

5.23 Other actions which could have a positive impact include making visitors to the city aware of useful facilities such as left luggage facilities at Waverley Station and the Bus Station.

Enhancing the appearance of the retail environment

5.24 The proposed actions for addressing the aggressive marketing techniques undertaken by tourist memorabilia shops will result in a significant improvement to the character and appearance of the retail environment in their locality. A number of additional proposals are set out below, which would apply to the whole city centre and which would help improve the attractiveness of the shopping streets.

5.25 The appearance of a shopfront is very important because it creates the customer’s first impression of the shop and the area. For independent retailers, the costs and complexities of altering a shopfront and gaining planning permission can be a deterrent to upgrading. There are a number of sources of information and guidance and in certain cases, loan or grant funding may be available, however there is no central resource from which these can be accessed.

5.26 The appearance of the streets, pavements and street furniture is another key factor in forming the character of the city centre. Within the city centre there are a number of elements which could be improved to create a more appealing and less cluttered pedestrian environment. It should be noted that larger public realm projects, such as repaving have a financial implication and their implementation will be dependent on the availability of appropriate resources.

5.27 A wide variety of public realm work is carried out by the Council, and the Retail Strategy can provide a platform to support this work, create a co-ordinated overview of the relevant projects, and where appropriate identify and recommend expansion or development of those projects.

5.28 For example, priority public realm works have been identified in the Public Realm Strategy, which sets out aspirations to deliver positive changes to Edinburgh’s public realm, and identifies priority projects, as funding becomes available. These include paving, lighting, and city dressing in key parts of the city.


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5.29 In addition, the recent Gehl Architects study of the Prince Street shopping environment made many recommendations on means to improve the user experience of Princes Street, Rose Street and George Street, including reducing the number of buses and widening pavements. Other relevant public realm projects include the recent pilot to remove A Boards from the Royal Mile and Princes Street, and other pilot de-cluttering exercises.

5.30 Pedestrianisation of a street can have a highly significant impact on the character of the street, and the way in which pedestrians and shoppers use and enjoy it. Rose Street and the Royal Mile are examples of the increase in vitality and footfall of a street following pedestrianisation. There may be other streets that would also be suitable for pedestrianisation and from which the retail experience would be improved, such as the Lawnmarket, Castlehill, or Victoria Street.

5.31 An issue that has been raised as having a negative impact on the appearance of city centre streets is the appearance of hoardings around pavement cafes, in terms of their design, materials and the high level of advertising. These hoardings are not permanent fixed structures, which means they do not require Planning or advertisement consent, and are outwith the control of planning legislation. However, it may be possible to control the appearance of this type of hoarding through the licensing process.

5.32 Another means by which the vitality of a commercial area can be improved is by ensuring there is life there at different hours of the day. Because Princes Street contains almost solely shops, with very few other uses such as restaurants, residential or office use, it has very limited evening and night time activity. The number of hotels on the street is due to increase, which will help. In addition, it may be suitable to counter this situation through enabling a greater mix of uses on the street, or adding elements such as high quality street kiosks in appropriate locations in adjoining streets.

6 Conclusions

6.1 The Council has minimal statutory powers which would enable it to address concerns about aggressive marketing tactics and a retail offer that could be further developed.

6.2 Nonetheless, there are a number of actions that the Council can take to support the city’s retail offer and help it reach its full potential. These include continuing existing actions undertaken by a variety of Council services; rolling out of recently completed or current pilot projects; and developing proposed new projects. This work covers a wide range of issues including implementing public realm improvements, investigating bus route and parking improvements, re-considering the appropriate balance of retail and food and drink uses in shopping areas, and where necessary utilising the Council’s enforcement powers under the Roads and Planning Acts.

6.3 The most significant impact the Council can have on aggressive marketing tactics and the wider retail offer will be through initiating and co-ordinating constructive and collaborative partnerships between the various stakeholders,


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to develop mutually beneficial ways to develop and bring about a shared vision of how the city centre should be.

7 Next steps

7.1 Pending Council approval, the immediate actions which address aggressive marketing will be taken forwards by the relevant departments. The working group will reconvene to finalise the timescales and leadership for developing the wider actions, and the manner in which they will be taken forwards.

7.2 A report on the progress of the Action Plan will be brought to Council in June 2012.


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Appendix Table of proposed actions

Immediate Actions Led by Dates

Aggressive marketing techniques

1. Develop a Marketing Practices Agreement with Royal Mile and other tourist memorabilia shops to be trialled over the 2011 summer season.


Implement by 01 August. Regular monitoring over summer period.

2. If the Marketing Practice Agreement proves unsuccessful: a) Take more sustained action against

goods on the pavement and implement this consistently against all offenders.

b) Utilise the powers granted by the City of Edinburgh District Council Order Confirmation Act and take action against goods on shopfronts.


As required.

3. For each Council-owned unit on the Royal Mile, ensure the terms of lease are fully complied with.

Property Management

Summer 2011

4. Develop more specific clauses relating to use, noise and display of goods, to be incorporated into new leases as they arise.

Legal Services/Property Management

Clauses developed by Aug 2011.

5. Work with Princes Street building owners to develop a way to restrict aggressive marketing practices on short-term leases and sub-lets.



6. Survey illuminated signage in city centre, and take enforcement action in cases where it is non-compliant.

Planning Survey complete Sept 2011.

7. If approval is given by the Scottish Government, enforce the removal and replacement of inappropriate signage, and ensure that any new signage is appropriately designed.

Planning Initial contact with relevant shop owners by Sept 2011.


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Wider actions for development Led by

Balance of retail types 1. Develop a definition of “best value” which is appropriate for the Royal Mile

and the wider city, and provides a framework for selecting the most appropriate bid for rental units.

Property Management

2. Investigate whether higher use of pavement space for display of goods correlates to higher rents for those retail units.

Property Management

3. Develop a letting policy for Council properties which supports the community and contributes to a balance of retail types on the Royal Mile

Property Management

Balance of wider commercial uses 4. Through the Local Development plan, consider whether the introduction of

non-retail uses such as cafes should be acceptable on Princes Street and its side streets.

Planning

5. Survey balance of retail and other commercial uses in the Old Town, and where necessary take enforcement action against breaches of Planning controls.

Planning

6. Consider whether the reduction of non-retail uses such as cafes would be beneficial for the retail and community balance of the Old Town.

Planning

Developing and promoting the retail offer 7. Continue building relationships with valued existing key city retailers, and

establish their future intentions and space requirements. Help them where we can and keep retailers better informed of what is happening.


8. Work with Marketing Edinburgh, Essential Edinburgh and retailers to encourage new national retailers to locate in Edinburgh, and support new local/independent retailers.


9. Map the shopping areas across the city to identify how speciality, independent and national retail are currently spread and linked, and promote the variety and breadth of Edinburgh’s existing retailers.


10. Develop separate marketing strategies for Princes Street and the Royal Mile/Old Town, to enable both areas to function at their full potential and support all their different users.


11. Develop initiatives to link retail and cultural activities and promote the city centre as a place which offers shopping as part of a wider cultural experience.


12. Support existing and where appropriate proposed BIDs and consider whether a BID should be set up for the Old Town.


13. Develop a coordinated annual programme of retail promotions and events, which ties in with other existing marketing and promotional material. Use public spaces like Castle Street for events to draw in more shoppers.


14. Dispel the misconception Edinburgh is an expensive place to rent property. Economic Development

15. Assess retail-related parking needs, looking at short and longer term opportunities both on-street and in existing car parks.

Economic Development/ Transport

16. Improve visitor awareness of the left luggage facilities at Waverley Station and the Bus Station.



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17. Investigate the potential for development/alteration of bus routes around the city to improve connectivity to retail areas.

Transport

18. Investigate the potential to engage retail agents to help deliver the aspirations.


19. Use vacant shop units for promotional opportunities, temporary community uses, and pop-up cultural events.

Economic Development/ Property Management

Appearance of retail environment 20. Set up a shopfront design resource to provide support and advice to shop

owners, and containing design guidance, information on the positive impacts of quality shopfronts on a business, database of previous projects, and loan/grants information.

Planning

21. If approved by the Scottish Government, consider the future extension of the shopfront signage control area from the Royal Mile to other key city centre locations.

Planning

22. Monitor the outcome of assessment of A Board pilot and incorporate any decisions into the Retail Strategy.

Neighbourhood Partnerships

23. Take approved actions set out in the Public Realm Strategy, in particular continued implementation of the decluttering protocol.

Streetscape Working Group

24. Identify and remove “orphaned” trade bins from the streets, and rationalise siting of remaining bins.


25. Take approved actions relating to the assessment/development of Gehl Architects’ study of Princes Street, George Street and Rose Street.


26. Capitalise on public realm opportunities at and around City Centre tram stops.


27. Consider whether the existing pedestrian signage in the city centre (e.g. wayfinder signage, street directories etc) could be improved to improve the pedestrian retail experience.


28. Review the charges for licensing pavement cafes, with a view to encouraging the establishment of these in appropriate locations.

Licensing

29. Introduce street kiosks in key locations in the City Centre to enliven places such as the Grassmarket.


Documents

City Centre Retail Strategy - Edinburgh