Winning Planning Appeals with Demographics

Demographic data twinned with market maps can form the basis for very successful planning appeals as the following case study shows.

Cinema planning appeal case study: A cinema operator in the south east of England wanted to appeal against a planning application for another cinema about 5 minutes drivetime away that was backed by the local authority.

To support our client’s case we identified where the current cinema goers were coming from and mapped them so showing the catchment area. We then identified all of the other cinemas in the area and totalled the number of available screens.
Using market data showing how often different types of people visit the cinema, we estimated the total number of cinema visits emanating in the market area and, using the cinema capacities, calculated the average annual occupancy per cinema seat.

The resulting data supported our client’s argument that another multi-screen cinema was not needed. This formed a very powerful case when compared to the case presented by the other side which focussed on the performance in another place that had a very different catchment profile – as we were able to demonstrate.

Demographics mixed with mapping software and market intelligence forms a very powerful tool for planners and developers. Their use is particularly powerful during either the initial planning stage, planning appeals and during the development of marketing strategies.

Please contact Chris Morton Associates for further information.