The commission, formed under the auspices of the Conservative Parliamentary Enterprise Group, released its findings ahead of a likely government announcement later today on planning reform.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears is expected this evening to reveal a harder stance towards out-of-town shopping and measures to protect high street diversity.
The group recommended that a future Conservative government “allow local councils to ensure out-of-town retail developments work with, not against, the needs of local communities”.
The commission reported: “It should allow them to retain the needs test and consider the promotion of planning options that allow a diverse retail mix to flourish.”
Commission chairman Brian Binley MP said he hears too often that town centres are “a mess”. He said: “The most obvious symptom of this decline is the disappearance of the independent small retailer from our high streets.
“They provide diversity, charm, interest and a level of personal service that is becoming absent in today’s town centre and their loss is keenly felt by many.”
Members of the Conservative commission included Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman, British Shops and Stores Association chief executive John Dean and MP Philip Dunne, the former chairman of bookseller Ottakar’s.
No comments yet