Applications for new retail development rights in Transvaal - A policy evaluation

Abstract

Transvaal's policy for the evaluation of new retail development proposals has been applied successfully for well over a decade, but is based on debatable premises. The policy is described, its premises are criticised and tentative suggestions for improvement made. Premises of the policy include a retail hierarchy with discrete levels, the use of circles of prescribed radius as prox­ies for trade areas, and the allocation of retail floor space per person, irre­spective of economic considerations. Suggested improvements include in­creasing the prescribed radii of circ­les, while reducing the allotted retail floor space per person, incorporating travel time as alternative to distance, and incorporating economic criteria.