The importance of having premises in each Service Area relates to the importance of the Partner having a presence in the community. The Applicant’s ability to establish and/or expand an active, visible presence on the ground will be taken into account in the assessment of Criterion 4.
See also clauses 3.2.5 and 3.2.6 of Annex E to the Statement of Requirements (ECEI Services) for requirements in relation to ECEI Services specifically. See questions 20.13 – 20.15 of this Question and Answers document for a discussion of these requirements.