The National Retail Planning Forum aims to improve understanding between private and public sectors of planning and its impact on retailing through dialogue and research.

Latest News

Event: Retail Planning - A Review May 2008
With so much changing in the retail planning scene, the NRPF and LGA are holding a one-day event in Manchester on May 22nd to take stock and look to the future. Essential for everyone involved in retail planning, whether professionally or politically - see the programme and booking form.

BIDs Briefing Note Apr 2008
A new paper in our series prepared by the Insititute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling looks at Business Improvement Districts.

Event: European Retail Markets Driving Communities June 2008
The WUWM Retail Conference will be held in Hamburg on 12th and 13th June

Response to Competition Commission Mar 2008
The NRPF has submitted a response to the Competition Commission's Groceries Market inquiry provisional decisions relating to planning remedies.

Under Served Markets project Mar 2008
Materials from the recent BitC Under Served Markets project practitioner workshop in London and the USM Reseach Guide are now online, along with more details and materials from earlier events in the series.

Ministerial Statement Mar 2008
CLG Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Iain Wright's recent response in a Westminster Hall debate on High Street Shops gives more clues about the forthcoming revisions to PPS6.

NRPF Knowledge Base Updated Mar 2008
The latest update to our Knowledge Base, looking critically at relevant research from 2007, is now online. Our recommendations for the retail planner's bookshelf have also been updated, along with the annotated list of useful websites.

Event: Retail Regeneration & Development 2008 Jun 2008
Subtitled 'Designing the future landscape of retail', this NRPF-supported event in Central London on 25th June will focus on how schemes can contribute and indeed pave the way to local regeneration, identifying both opportunity and best practice in retail design.



The Chimes, Uxbirdge

Food Security Mar 2008
In a recent lecture ‘Food Security: are we sleepwalking into a crisis?’, Prof. Tim Lang of City University explored the clash between our cheap food culture and the challenge of providing a sustainable food supply for the future. Another related lecture.

New Book: Open for Business Mar 2008
Photographer (and NRPF secretary) George Nicholson's forthcoming book 'Open for Business' celebrates the shops and market of Fulhams' North End Road. Read the afterword by NRPF chairman Chris Brearley which addresses the hot topic of secondary shopping; to see the foreword by the BBC's Evan Davis you'll need to read the book!

Floorspace Statistics and Consultation Mar 2008
DCLG has released floorspace and rateable value statistics for commercial properties, including retail, in England & Wales at 1 April 2007. A consultation on the future of these statistics has now closed.

Town Centre Statistics Dec 2007
DCLG has released floorspace and employment statistics for English & Welsh town centres for the years 1999 to 2004 inclusive as part of its State of the Cities database. DCLG has also prepared a user guide to the database.

NB the site is designed for Internet Explorer version 6; other versions and browsers may have problems accessing some sections. Note also that data and maps for Retail Cores will be updated later in 2008.

Take a look at materials from our autumn event and check our blog for regular news updates.