core strategy with a focus on north kensington road adopted.pdf · centre such as the king’s...

Chapter 15 King's Road/Sloane Square

15.1 Introduction

15.1.1 The King’s Road remains one of theBorough’s most vibrant fashion shopping centres.In its heyday in the sixties it was the street in whichto shop, a position it retained into the eighties.Since then the road has evolved and, althoughiconic shops like Vivienne Westwood’s World’s Endremain, the number of independent boutiques hasdeclined. Some 70% of all retail floorspace in theeastern part of the centre and 40% to the west isnow occupied by multiple retailers.

15.1.2 However, the nature of its shops meansthat the King’s Road has not slipped into being 'justanother' high street. It remains a shoppingdestination that is still greatly valued for its diversity,which attracts visitors from across the Capital.Theeastern part of the centre is anchored by PeterJones at Sloane Square. It is also characterisedby a number of upmarket international chainsrunning up Sloane Street, many of which have onlya few outlets in this country. This concentration onSloane Street has developed as a result of aconcerted effort by Cadogan Estates since thebeginning of the nineties. The western end of thecentre is again different in character, containing ahealthy mix of specialist retailers, including asignificant furniture and design element.

15.1.3 While the primary function of the King’sRoad is as a centre for comparison shopping, itcontains other attractions and points of interest:the Royal Court Theatre on Sloane Square;Cadogan Hall, (home of the Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra); the Blue Bird Restaurant; the SaatchiGallery in the Duke of York’s development; and theChelsea Old Town Hall Registry Office, where somany famous couples have married and have beenphotographed on its steps. The King’s Road alsoplays a role as a centre where residents can fulfiltheir everyday shopping needs.

15.1.4 Within the London Plan, the King’s Roadis divided into two closely-related linear shoppingareas. The King’s Road (East) Major Centre isseparated from the King’s Road (West) DistrictCentre by a short break in the retail frontagebetween Sydney Street and Old Church Street onthe north side and Oakley Street and Glebe Placeon the south side. Although this break may

discourage some shoppers from visiting the entireshopping street, the King’s Road does, in manyways, function as one.

15.1.5 The King’s Road includes listed terracesof shops, the high quality open space of the Dukeof York’s Square, and isolated gems such as theBlue Bird and Peter Jones on Sloane Square. Itsdistinctive architectural character, however, owesas much to the relationship between the mainshopping street and its surroundings as it does tothe street itself. It is the side views, the vistas, theopening up of one side of the street by a gardensquare, an open space or a terrace, which createsthe variety and the distinctiveness that contributesto the overall attractiveness of the street and whichenhance the visitor experience. As a busyintersection Sloane Square has particular problemsand could be radically improved.

15.1.6 The King's Road contains manyrestaurants, cafés, pubs and bars which contributeto area's character, to its diversity and to its vitality.The Council does however recognise that theconcentration of these uses within the centre, andnot allowing their spread into the residential areasadjoining the centre, are important factors inensuring that the amenity of the surroundingresidential areas is protected. The Council alsorecognises that a 'critical mass' of shops requiredto attract visitors into the King's Road must bemaintained.

15.1.7 The King’s Road is served by SloaneSquare Underground Station in the east, withnumerous buses providing access along the street.The bus routes do however peel off north andsouth, up Sydney Street and down Beaufort Street,and it is inevitable that pedestrian numbers fall offtowards the west.

15.1.8 There are no strategic site allocationswithin King's Road/Sloane Square Place containedin the Core Strategy.

1Core Strategy with a Focus on North Kensington Adopted 8th December 2010

Chapter 15 King's Road/ Sloane Square

The Royal Court Theatre, SloaneSquare

15.2 Vision

CV 15

Vision for King's Road/Sloane Square in2028

The King’s Road will not simply be like anyother ‘successful’ high street. It will remain oneof London’s most iconic and vibrant shoppingstreets, containing a lively and diverse mix ofshops, restaurants, and world-class culturalattractions.

It will remain a place where one can shop inboth independent boutiques and multiples; aplace to enjoy, to promenade, a place whichmeets the day-to-day needs of our residents;and a place to experience some of the besttheatre, concert and gallery events thatLondon has to offer.

15.3 Priorities for Actions

15.3.1 The priorities for action for King'sRoad/Sloane Square have been set out under theStrategic Objectives for the Core Strategy as awhole. The Strategic Objectives are not listed in

the same order for each place, instead they havebeen listed in order of importance for delivering thevision for each place.

Fostering Vitality

15.3.2 The Council will work in partnership withretailers, landlords, residents and otherstakeholders to build awareness of the entire King’sRoad offer to encourage more visitors to shop thefull length of the road from Sloane Square in theeast to World’s End in the west(1).

15.3.3 Multiple retailers have an important roleto play, and will always form the spine of a towncentre such as the King’s Road. However, tomaintain the unique retail heritage of the King'sRoad, the Council will endorse particular initiativeswhich support the independent or the local andwhich promote the King’s Road as a centre whichoffers more than the standard range of shops(2).The Council recognises that there is a particularopportunity to build upon the King's Road's uniqueretail heritage and support and encourageindependent boutiques.

15.3.4 In particular, the Council will require bothsmall and ‘affordable’ shop units to be provided byway of s106 agreements(3) linked to appropriatenew large-scale retail development in, or at theedge, of these centre(4). The Council will alsoconsider how the shops it owns as part of theWorld’s End Estate, and currently managed underthe Neighbourhood Shopping Policy, couldcontribute to the establishment of new independentboutiques as well as continuing to meet theday-to-day shopping needs of local residents.

15.3.5 The Council's Retail Needs Assessment(5)

suggests that the amount of comparison retailfloorspace should expand in the south of theBorough to meet future needs.

15.3.6 The King’s Road is not surrounded byempty sites suitable for new retail development.Indeed one of the strengths of the centre,something which gives it a distinct character, is thehigh-quality terraces of houses which surround it.

1 See Corporate and Partnership Action 1, in the Fostering Vitality, Chapter 31.2 See Corporate and Partnership Action 2, in the Fostering Vitality, Chapter 31.3 S106 Planning Obligations may be used to help mitigate the specific impact of a development where it would generate

additional needs e.g. on community infrastructure. Standard charges are calculations and measurements of the level ofcontribution likely to be sought by a local planning authority towards infrastructure necessitated by new development.The Government has encouraged the use of formulae and standard charges, and pooling of contributions, whereappropriate.

4 See Policy CF2, Retail Development within Town Centres, in the Fostering Vitality, Chapter 315 RBKC, Retail and Leisure Needs Study Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners, 2008.

Adopted 8th December 2010 Core Strategy with a Focus on North Kensington2

SECTION 1 SPATIAL STRATEGY

The Council will therefore look to accommodate asmuch of this additional shopping floorspace aspossible within the King’s Road (East) and (West)centres. This is likely to take the form ofredevelopment of some sites, the reoccupation ofvacant units and by the extension of shoppingfloorspace into basements and upper floors. TheSloane Square Underground Station site is theexception in that it is a significant site within thecentres that has been identified as having thepotential for redevelopment.



15.3.7 The majority of extensions are, however,likely to be small in scale, and the Councilrecognises that it may be necessary to expand thecentre to include sites currently abutting or veryclose to the existing retail area. The Council hasidentified No. 250 King’s Road (Blocks A and B);the Sydney Street car park; the Chelsea Farmers’Market, 125-155 Sydney Street, and the officebuilding 102 Sydney Street as edge-of-centre siteswhich have the potential to include a significantamount of retail use at street level. Somesupporting town centres uses may also besuitable(6).

15.3.8 The Council will support the King’s Roadas a suitable location for new offices, where this isnot at the expense of primary shopping function ofthe centre(7).

15.3.9 The Council has not yet been able toassess the impact that the opening of the SaatchiGallery in autumn 2008 has had upon the King’sRoad. The Council does however recognise thatthe many thousands of visitors could affect thecharacter of the retail offer. This will be closelymonitored. The Council believes new culturalinstitutions will add to the richness and vitality ofthe centre.

Better Travel Choices

15.3.10 It is essential that the public transportinfrastructure serving the King's Road is supportedas the ease of access to the centre is central to theKing's Road remaining competitive and amongstthe top retail destinations in London.

15.3.11 The Council will work with Transport forLondon and Crossrail Ltd to establish newunderground stations on the King’s Road as partof the planned Crossrail 2 (Chelsea-HackneyLine)(8).The Council would support the principle of a new interchange in the existing Sloane SquareUnderground Station as well as new stations nearthe Chelsea Old Town Hall, and near, or at,Imperial Wharf. These stations would not beexpected to open until after 2025. These stationswould improve public transport accessibility to theFulham Road area as well as helping draw visitorswest along the King's Road. The Council doeshowever recognise that the provision of new

stations/interchanges on the Chelsea-Hackney Linewould have significant impacts upon the King'sRoad and surrounding residential areas(9).Theseimpacts would need to be fully understood andfound acceptable before any new stations wereagreed.

15.3.12 Some people feel that a shuttle busrunning along the King's Road would be beneficial.However, given the number of existing buses whichalready run along the road, this may only add tocongestion. The Council will explore the bettermarketing of bus services to visitors to aid theirvisit. This will include links to nearby stations,including the Imperial Wharf station on the WestLondon Line.

Keeping Life Local

15.3.13 In common with many of the Borough'sother higher order centres, the King's Road playsan important role in serving the day-to-dayshopping needs of the residents of the area. TheCouncil will support initiatives intended to maintaina variety of shops and other services which helpmeet these needs. In particular the Council willsupport the provision of a new bank in the westernpart of the King’s Road, as well as a GP's Surgery.Given their need, these uses may be appropriatewithin the primary as well as secondary frontagesof the centre(10).

15.3.14 The Council recognises the particularrole that the Chelsea Old Town Hall facilities(including the library and assembly rooms) and theSports Centre play in allowing community life inChelsea to flourish.

An Engaging Public Realm

15.3.15 The King’s Road offers a high-quality,laid back, street environment. However if the TownCentre is to remain one of London’s key shoppingareas, the enhancement and maintenance of thepublic realm is essential. Public realm is, however,about more than just streetscape; it is aboutmaintaining the existing contrast of the bustlingcommercial street with the quiet green spaces orresidential squares leading directly from it. Any

6 See Policy CF1, Location of New Shop Uses within Town Centres, in the Fostering Vitality, Chapter 317 See Policy CF5, Location of Business Uses, in the Fostering Vitality, Chapter 318 See Corporate and Partnership Action 2, in the Better Travel Choices, Chapter 32.9 See Policy CT2, New and Enhanced Rail Infrastructure, in the Better Travel Choices, Chapter 32.10 See Policy CF3, Diversity of Uses within Town Centres in the Fostering Vitality, Chapter 31.



development in and around the King's Road shouldsupport this balance and build upon the King'sRoad's ambiance as a place to promenade(11).

Renewing the Legacy

15.3.16 Any development within the King's Roadmust recognise both the quality of its buildings, andthe distinct relationship that the main shoppingstreet has to its surroundings. Exceptionalarchitectural and design quality is expected as itwill assist the King's Road in remaining the iconicstreet that it is(12).

Diversity of Housing

15.3.17 The Council supports initiatives to bringvacant properties above shops back into residentialuse, where this is not at the expense of existingtown centre uses. This supports both the vitality ofthe King’s Road by maintaining activity after theshops close and helps diversify the Borough’shousing stock(13).Two teaching hospitals lie within,or close to, the area, the Chelsea and Westminsterand the Royal Brompton. The Council, therefore,recognises that it must consider the housing needsof the associated key workers and students.

Respecting Environmental Limits

15.3.18 The King’s Road is a busy route into andout of Central London and experiences a high levelof pollution as the result of the movement of somany vehicles. The Council will seek to supportinitiatives which reflect the Borough’s designationas an Air Quality Management Area to reduce thispollution.

15.4 Changes to the TownCentre Boundary

15.4.1 The boundaries of the King's Road (East)and (West) centres largely follow those shownwithin the 2002 Unitary Development Plan. Theboundary has been amended to include the 'towncentre use' developments that have taken placesince the designation of the centres - namely atthe Duke of York's, Symons Street/Pavilion Roadand College House/Lightfoot Hall. The boundariesare shown on the extracts to the Proposals Map.

15.4.2 The units within the Duke of York's Squareitself (and not having a King's Road frontage) havebeen designated as lying within secondary retailfrontage. Whilst these units greatly contribute tothe function of the centre, the introduction of somenon-shop town centre uses will not jeopardise theessential shopping function of the 'core' of thecentre. On the contrary, the introduction of someA3 café and other non-shop uses could enhancethe benefits available to the centre associated withthe large numbers of visitors attracted to theadjoining Saatchi Gallery. The units fronting theKing's Road have been designated as lying withinthe primary retail frontage.

15.4.3 The units in Symonds Street and LightfootHall have been designated as secondary retailfrontage. Both sites clearly function as parts of thecentre, but both lie in areas which contain higherproportions of non-shop town centre uses.Furthermore both sites adjoin the "non-core" areasof the Council's Unitary Development Plan.

15.4.4 The Chelsea Old Town Hall and ChelseaSports Centre have been included as secondaryretail frontages of the King's Road (East) MajorCentre, as they are civic uses which significantlycontribute to the non-shop draw of the centre.

15.5 Delivery

Development Management

15.5.1 Development Management Policies toimplement the actions identified above are foundin Chapters 30-36, and referenced by footnotes inthe text above. However, in making a planningdecision, it is often necessary to weight differentpolicies against one another in a particular case.The Vision set out for Kings's Road/Sloane Squareguides that decision making process but to ensurethe place shaping role is given due weight withinthe planning process, a place shaping policy forKing's Road/Sloane Square is required.

11 See Policy CR3, Street and Outdoor Life, Policy CR4, Streetscape, and Policy CR5 Parks, Gardens, Open Spaces andWaterways, in the An Engaging Public Realm, Chapter 33

12 See Policy CL2, New buildings, Extensions and Modifications to Existing Buildings, in the Renewing the Legacy, Chapter34

13 See Corporate and Partnership Action 3, in the Diversity of Housing, Chapter 35.



Policy CP 15

King's Road/Sloane Square

The Council will ensure King’s Road andSloane Square remains one of London's iconicand vibrant shopping streets by supportingproposals likely to favour independent retailersand small up market chains, supportingcultural facilities and promoting improvementto the public realm to better reflect itsinternational reputation.

Quantum of Development

15.5.2 There are no strategic allocations withinthe King's Road Place. The Council has howeveridentified No. 250 King's Road (Blocks A and B);the Sydney Street car park; the Chelsea Farmer'sMarket, 125-155 Sydney Street and 102 SydneyStreet as edge-of-centre sites which combinedhave a ground area of 6,400sq.m (69,000sq.ft) andtherefore have the potential to include significantamounts of retail use at street level.

Infrastructure needs

15.5.3 The following infrastructure(14) that wouldhelp to deliver the vision for the King's Road hasbeen identified:

increased medical provision in south-westChelsea;the provision of affordable shops to encouragenew independent boutiques;new underground station on the King’s Roadas part of the Chelsea-hackney Line;new bank on the King’s Road in south westChelsea.

Future plans and documents

15.5.4 The King's Road Town Centre Action Planidentifying the priorities and timescales for actionsto support the commercial viability of the centre.This will not form a document within the LDF, beingtaken forward by the Council's Town CentreInitiatives Manager.

Monitoring

15.5.5 The Vision: The focus of monitoring forKing's Road/Sloane Square must be the extent towhich the Vision has, or has not, been achieved.The following output indicators will be used tomonitor the Vision.

1. Have the number of independent boutiquesincreased within the centre?

2. Where suitable schemes have come forward,have any affordable shops been provided?

3. Have any new stations been provided withinthe centre as part of the planned Crossrail2(Chelsea-Hackney Line)?

4. Has the provision of local medical facilitiesbeen improved in the south west of thecentre?

5. Has a town centre action plan for the King'sRoad been written, and when it has, have therecommended actions within it beenimplemented?

15.5.6 The Priorities for Action: a separatemonitoring framework has not been established forthese. Instead, cross references are made throughfootnotes to policies and actions elsewhere withinthe plan that are monitored in the framework setout in Chapter 38.

15.5.7 Development Management: this policyis not separately monitored. The policy is amechanism to ensure that those aspects of theVision that can be controlled through developmentare accorded due weight – it is thus the Visionrather than the policy that should be the focus ofmonitoring.

15.5.8 Quantum of Development: this will bemonitored through Policy CP1 – additional criteriaare not required.

15.5.9 Infrastructure: this will be monitoredthrough the Infrastructure Delivery Plan, from whichthe place specific infrastructure has been drawnfor inclusion in this Place chapter. Additionalmonitoring criteria are not therefore required.

15.5.10 Future plans and documents: progresson the preparation of these documents will berecorded in the Council’s Annual Monitoring Report,published in the autumn of each year.

14 See Infrastructure Schedule in Section 2c, Chapter 37.



Sloane Street



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