Use Class F(lexible)?

With retail vacancies set to further increase in relation to COV-19, how can we ensure that our high streets and town centres remain vibrant & relevant places? In 2019 Urben worked with FutureGov on a project for the GLA looking at how vacant buildings, primarily those in the ground floor of new residential developments in east London, could be repurposed as places that better serviced their communities, generated income for property owners and created opportunities for employment. This built on our earlier research Rethinking Retail for the Circular Economy.

Focusing on the under provision of affordable workspace for designers and makers, we considered a range of mechanisms to enable vacant spaces to be shared on a temporary and timeshare basis. One such mechanism aimed to maximise the flexibility of land use through planning policy. In addition to turning the General Permitted Development Order on its head, we proposed a “Use Class F”, for flexible town centre uses. In order to activate urban street frontages and diversify economic opportunities, we proposed that a Use Class F meld together A1, A2, A3, D1, D2, B1 and appropriate sui generis uses such as artist’s studios. This could enable flexible uses of urban space at different times of the day, week, season, or longer.  Upper limits on factors that harm environmental health and amenity such as hours of operation, air quality, noise and parking could be set through planning condition or within amendments to The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. We would love to hear what property owners, small businesses and community groups think of this idea and how it might help support a range of measures to help our towns and cities create a positive legacy in response to the COV-19 crisis.