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Blears: I'll change rules on planning to protect town centres
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor07.07.08
Sweeping curbs on out-of-town supermarkets are to be introduced in a bid to protect smaller shops, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced today.
After months of consultation, Ms Blears has decided that planning guidance should be changed to allow councils to preserve their town centres and fight the spread of "clone town Britain".
She said the Evening Standard's Save Our Small Shops campaign had "struck a chord" across the capital, as well as the country, and that it was time to take action.
Under the changes, the current simplistic planning test - which only judges whether there is capacity for an out-of-town supermarket - will be replaced with a more rounded "impact test" which assesses the risks and benefits of new businesses on existing small shops and the town centre.
Special planning guidance, known as "Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres", will be amended to ensure that new outoftown developments do not choke existing small businesses or draw valuable trade away from the town.
The change will see the scrapping of the "needs test" which has seen some proposed town-centre shops turned down because of the presence of out-of-town developments. Councils will now have to take a deeper look at how new businesses affect the health of town centres.
Ms Blears, who will outline the protections later this week, said: "London has many independent small shops at the heart of the local community which are part of its unique history. That's why I putting my support behind the Evening Standard campaign and taking action this week to strengthening the planning rules so they better protect our small shops during the credit crunch and keep them thriving along London's high streets."
"Independent butchers, bakers and booksellers are icons of local pride, giving high streets a style all of their own and testifying to London's unique history. Our priority is to ensure we do not see more stretches of the nation's high streets turned into bland "every towns".
"We need more individuality, more small scale independent shops, and a new spirit of independent enterprise on our high streets."
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Let us hope Ms Blears puts into practice what she preaches when 'finally' making a decision on proposed relocation of Everton Football Club.
Evertonians around the world say NO to Kirby.
- Mark Watterson, Mindarie (Perth, Western Australia)
A bit late Ms Blears, have you just woken up!
- Peter, n1
Londoncentric preoccupation from both ministers and inhabitants ignore fact that the destruction of high streets and suburban shopping centres is happening everywhere. We are fighting high business rates, supermarkets, out of town warehouses and universal greed from consumers and entrepreneurs both large and small, in order to retain some character and local utility in all our outer city suburbs-what price all the baloney being talked about "locally sourced foods" and "sustainability" if we get no backing from both local and national governments, intent on using us as milch cows for their profits too? We need to pedestrianize our local shopping precincts to create attractive shopping areas and encourage lots of small retailers to come in by lowering business rates and giving small businesses a tax break. People need to be content with less in quantity and be taught to appreciate quality like we used to be. The pile it high and sell it cheap philosophy has had its day. Everyone wants too much,eats too much and appreciates what they have less and less. Our politicians are failing us utterly because they tinker around the edges and serve only the interests of big business instead of those of ordinary people, regardless of which party they serve themselves.
- Mrs H Long, Westbury on Trym-ancient village now inc. into Bristol. UK
