Further threat to survival of town centres

Nick King, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Mid Dorset and North Poole has strongly criticized the Government’s new proposed changes to planning rules, which will reduce local planning powers to control out-of-town retail development.

A new report from the cross-party House of Commons Communities Select Committee has warned that the Government’s proposed changes to planning rules on retail development will result in ‘many more out-of-town superstores.’

This comes as a separate nationwide survey by the British Retail Consortium has found that 1 in 10 of all town centre shops are now vacant - three times as many as last autumn.

The Government is proposing to scrap the ‘needs test,’ which requires developers to prove the ‘need’ for additional out-of-town development.   Local councils will be forced to observe the new rules when assessing planning applications.

The small print of the Government’s proposals shows the changes would lead to an ‘overall increase in [out-of-town] development, which could have environmental implications,’ and ‘more [out-of-town] development proposals coming forward through the planning process,’ and ‘additional unplanned proposals outside town centres.’

The Government's own consultation exercise found that the changes would ‘undermine regeneration schemes by allowing development outside town centres.’ Now the influential Communities Select Committee has warned that the changes will create ‘unnecessary risks to town centres.’

Nick and Dorset County Councillor, Robin Cook, are already leading a campaign to reinstate a Post Office service in Wimborne Minster town, where many businesses are reporting a significant downturn in trade as a result of the loss of the facility in a fire six weeks ago.  

Commenting on the news, Nick said: “Small businesses are already struggling in many of our small towns as a result of the recession and especially in Wimborne as a consequence of the fire. 

"These proposals threaten to undermine shops in our major centres still further, as well as our market town and village high streets.  It is vital for local communities to retain the power to curtail foolish out-of-town expansion and to promote town centre regeneration. 

“Traders in Wimborne are working extraordinarily hard to attract business to the town in particularly difficult circumstances.  The last thing we need is even more legislation like this, taking power away from local communities."