The continued lack of robust and consistent floorspace, employment
and turnover statistics to allow comparisons between places and for
different times is a ongoing matter of concern.
NRPF was involved in the Town Centres Statistics project commissioned
by DCLG and its predecessors which produced comparable and consistent
statistics for over 1000 towns in England & Wales around the turn of
the millenium. This became part of the now discontinued State of the Cities database.
More recently the Valuation Office has produced experimental floorspace statistics at Local Authority level covering the years 2000-2012.
NRPF members the British Council for Shopping Centres have been working with Geofutures to examine ways to update the Town Centres Statistics methodology to produce more timely and flexible outputs.
The Forum is also investigating other ways to monitor the
effectiveness of Town Centres and Retail Planning Policy, while
continuing to lobby for better central statistical provision.
