| 20.1 Cape Hill centre is one of the largest centres in the Borough. Its main shopping area is situated on five roads, Cape Hill, High Street, Waterloo Road, Shireland Road and Windmill Lane. The shopping centre core is concentrated around Cape Hill and High Street, with the secondary areas extending out along Waterloo Road and Shireland Road. A small local shopping centre is located further along Windmill Lane.  20.2 In recent years, the shopping function of the town centre has declined somewhat, due to changing retail patterns and a decrease in population due to redevelopment and clearance of some of the older housing areas. However, vacancy rates have stabilised due to a combination of low property values, short term lets, non-retail activities such as manufacturing operations behind retail premises and a number of shops catering for the local population. Cape Hill has a significant ethnic minority population, which is reflected in the shopping centre, which contains many Asian owned businesses. 20.3 The traditional role of the centre, purely as a shopping centre, has begun to change, particularly with the increase in the demand for leisure uses which will extend the economy of the centre into the evening. This changing function has been acknowledged, and where possible encouraged, to increase the vitality and viability of the centre. This new role with its reduced reliance on pure retail, may well prove more able to withstand changes in the centres catchment population. 
20.4 The majority of the shops in Cape Hill (70%), are A1 retail use selling food, clothes, electrical goods, hardware etc. Hot food take-aways account for 7% of the shops and 6%are service uses such as doctors, dentists, solicitors, accountants etc. The centre does have a high vacancy rate (14%), particularly on the edges of the centre along Waterloo Road and along Cape Hill close to the border with Winson Green. 20.5 Cape Hill also has two purpose-built shopping centres anchored with discount foodstores: the Cape Hill Retail Centre, comprising an Aldi Foodstore, a bedding shop, a freezer centre, a video store and a fast food take-away; and the Windmill Retail Park to the rear of High Street, which presently contains a Netto Store, Iceland, Poundstretcher and a Mini Market. This site is also the subject of a Planning and Design Brief for its redevelopment for a large food store, other retail and leisure uses. An outline planning application has been submitted for a supermarket and other non-food retail units. Despite these two areas, the majority of the retail units are small, independent shops, catering for local needs. 20.6 The Sandwell Shopping Survey (1995), indicates that a number of people walk to the shops from the large residential area close to the centre. Other surveys have indicated that most of the pedestrian activity occurs in the vicinity of the Netto Store at the rear of High Street. The Sandwell Survey also indicates that Cape Hill's catchment area for food shopping has increased since 1990, with 80%of trade coming from within 3km.This has increased the potential for a foodstore within the centre. 20.7 The centre serves its local population well by providing convenience goods, with a limited comparison goods and service role compared to other similar centres in the country. However, those people wishing to travel to the centre by car experience problems with traffic congestion due to the nature of the road layout and on-street parking. It is recognised that off-street parking serving the town centre is limited. 20.8 As this inset falls within an Area of Potential Archaeological Importance, any proposals will be assessed against the policies for Conservation and Heritage within Part One of the UDP, in particular, Policy C11-Archaeology and Development Proposals. It will also be appropriate to liaise with the Borough Archaeologist before submitting any applications for planning permission. 20.9 Cape Hill centre can be divided into sections with specific functions. These are as follows: - The Retail Core;
- Mixed Use Areas.
The Retail Core 20.10 This part of the centre has a predominantly retail function with few other uses present. It also contains a substantial redevelopment site which has been allocated for a food store and associated retail and leisure uses. It is anticipated that the redevelopment of this site for a supermarket will provide a much needed resource in the Cape Hill area and incorporate the site into the town centre to expand its retail function. The leisure use element will provide complementary facilities to continue the use of the centre after normal working hours. 20.11 The Retail Core also contains an Area of Townscape Value, the historic part of the centre, located at the convergence of five important roads. This is the busiest part of the centre, containing a number of important corner buildings. There is a mainly retail function here and the vacancy rates in this area are low. It is the Councils intention to preserve this predominant retail function. Some of the shops, particularly those fronting Claremont Road, Cape Hill and Waterloo Road, are important for the street scene of the centre as they are imposing three storey buildings with tall pitched dormers. The majority of these properties are in a reasonable state of repair, although some have suffered from unsympathetic improvements in recent years. 20.12 The Area of Townscape Value contains a number of blocks of buildings which have a great deal of architectural interest which give the centre its character. The Waterloo Hotel on Shireland Road is a Grade II* Listed Building (1999) and the corner property on the western side of the High Street/Windmill Lane junction, Barclays Bank, the former Lloyds Bank building, the Seven Stars Public House (now the Goose on the Hill) and the Dudley Arms Public House are very important individual buildings in prominent locations. Recent additions to the Listed Buildings Register include the former Rank Cinema (Bingo Hall) along Windmill Lane and the clinic along Cape Hill.
Cape Hill is designated a Town Centre within which major retail development will be concentrated. 20.13 Cape Hill Town Centre contains opportunities for further investment, including retail and other mixed uses. It is the Councils intention that Cape Hill should continue to provide a range of facilities and services, and to act as a focus for the community and for public transport. Definitions of Town Centres within Sandwell are included within Part I of the UDP.
20.14 The sequential test contained within PPG6 will be applied to retail development in Cape Hill, with locations within the Retail Core being considered first.
New retail development will be encouraged to locate within the Retail Core. Applications to convert properties to retail premises will be encouraged. 20.15 The Council will make every effort to attract an anchor foodstore, further retail units, service uses and leisure and recreational uses into the centre. The Council will maintain the retail function of the centre, while still ensuring that the centre remains as vibrant and attractive as possible. This can be achieved by introducing some non-retail activity into the centre, particularly to stimulate the use of the centre during the evening.
Planning and Design Briefs will be required for all large sites that become available for development. Developers will be encouraged to enter into pre-application discussions with the Council before development of any sites, large or small. All proposals must have regard to existing built form. All applications for development within the Area of Townscape Value will be determined in accordance with Development Control Policy DC8-Development in Conservation Areas and Areas of Townscape Value. 20.16 The development of vacant sites and buildings will be encouraged as a means of attracting investment and enhancing the attractiveness of the area. However, as well as being an appropriate use, new development will need to integrate fully with the town centre. The presence of Victorian and Edwardian architecture in the town centre should not deter proposals for high quality modern developments constructed from high quality materials that have regard to the existing built form in terms of scale and massing. (See also; Policy C5 Areas of Townscape Value and Policy UD2 Design Statements).
The Council will assist with the expansion of the Living Above the Shop Scheme by encouraging and approving planning applications for residential uses in first floors, particularly within the town centre. 20.17 It is recognised that there are a number of first floors over shops that are currently vacant and in some cases are falling into disrepair. The Living Above the Shop Scheme aims to increase the number of residential properties in Cape Hill Centre and bring those first floors back into beneficial use. This not only keeps the buildings in a better state of repair, it increases the security of the centre after normal working hours.
20.18 These areas are those parts of the centre which are further away from the retail core. These areas are characterised by a mixture of shopping, service and office uses and premises selling hot food. However, retail is still the predominant use.T hey also have a higher vacancy rate than the retail core. The areas on the periphery of the centre contain buildings in a poor state of repair which are substantially underused. It therefore seems appropriate to identify these areas as suitable for redevelopment for a variety of uses, such as retail, leisure, food and drink, community facilities and residential development.
It is necessary to be more flexible in the number of non-retail uses in these areas. Therefore, the Council will encourage applications for a variety of uses outside of the retail core. Each application will be judged on its own merits and in conjunction with the appropriate Development Control Policy. Appropriate uses in this area include retail, leisure, food and drink, community development and residential development. 20.19 By being more flexible in the number of acceptable uses in these areas, it is hoped to reduce the vacancy rate and improve the appearance of this part of the centre. The existence of leisure uses in this part of the centre will help to maintain the centres vitality. The location of these uses in areas accessible by non-motorised means is sustainable.
Windmill Retail Park, High Street/Windmill Lane Site Area: - 4.338 hectares (10.70 acres) approximately
Allocation: - Mixed Uses-Retail and Leisure
20.20 The site contains a warehouse/factory, four retail premises, a large car park, a Bingo Hall, The Smethwick Gospel Hall, the market and other associated uses. The site has increased slightly in size. The retail units are the dominant use on the site, but operate largely independently from the rest of the town centre. 20.21 The owners of the site are keen to see the site developed comprehensively and the Council are willing to assist them with consolidating the site ownerships. The redevelopment of this site provides an opportunity to exploit the potential for a large foodstore which is currently not being provided in the town, building on the centres accessibility and the locational criteria as contained in PPG6. It is also anticipated that the site can support a number of other uses, including a pub/diner, fast food outlet, themed/specialist restaurant, or bowling alley. The Bingo Hall and the Market Hall are also important existing assets for the centre which should be retained on the site. A Planning and Design Brief has been prepared for this site and is available to anyone interested. The Brief states that the development of a foodstore on this site will need to be done in conjunction with the proposed car park at Shireland Road -proposal site 3.
Cape Hill Site Area: - 0.17 hectares (0.42 acres) approximately
Allocation: 20.22 This area is the only part of the Cape Hill Retail Park that has not yet been developed. The rest of the Retail Park has been developed for a mixture of retail and A3 uses. The design and orientation of any new development will need to pay regard to the adjacent residential development in Florence Road.
Shireland Road Car Park Site Area: - 0.29hectares (0.71acres) approximately
Allocation: 20.23 This site will be developed in conjunction with the foodstore in site 1 above. The developer will be expected to provide the car park as part of the town centre parking provision. The development of this car park will be undertaken in accordance with the Council’s car parking policies and with particular regard to issues of personal and vehicle safety.
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