Town Centres and Retail (Topic Paper - LDP3 Evidence Report)

LDP3 Topic Paper - Town Centres and Retail 🏢🛒🛍️☕💐

This Topic Paper sets out and analyses evidence pertaining to Town Centres and Retail in East Ayrshire for the forthcoming Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3).

The scope of the topic paper is to consider the available data about town centres and retail in East Ayrshire in relation to land use planning and the implications for the spatial strategy of LDP3.

The Town Centres and Retail topic paper corresponds with National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Policies 27, and 28. Policy 27 aims to "encourage, promote and facilitate development in town centres" by "applying the Town Centre First approach to help centres adapt positively to long-term economic, environmental and societal changes, and by encouraging town centre living". The intent of Policy 28 is to "encourage, promote and facilitate retail investment to the most sustainable locations that are most accessible by a range of sustainable transport modes".

Read the topic paper

The Town Centres and Retail Topic Paper is part of a wider suite of papers, which will be released in groups until the Evidence Report is ready - other relevant Topic Papers can be viewed by clicking Related Projects on this page, or navigating via the main page for Local Development Plan 3.

Submit your comments 📝

We would welcome any comments on this topic paper using the survey set out below.

Alternatively, respond by email to LocalDevelopmentPlans@east-ayrshire.gov.uk.

Evidence Report 📒

The views of stakeholders will be reflected in the final Evidence Report which will be submitted to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) for Gatecheck in Q3, 2026. The information provided in the Evidence Report will support the Council in the process of producing the (proposed) Local Development Plan.