ACS has responded to a statement from Planning Minister Nick Boles by warning that current planning policy guidance is insufficient to stop the trend of out of town developments being approved.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “We welcome the Government’s intention to simplify planning policy guidance, but this has come at the expense of a robust town centre first policy. Retailers who want to invest have lost confidence in councils to protect high streets from out of town development, so they are targeting cheaper, easier out of town developments. This is a vicious circle that only central Government can break by monitoring planning decisions and strengthening the town centre first policy.
“We have serious concerns about the application of tests in the guidance which are supposed to stop harmful out of town development, and are calling on Ministers to take urgent, direct action to intervene in these decisions.”
Research conducted by ACS in December 2013 revealed that 76% of the new retail floor space given planning approval since the new national planning laws came into force (March 2012) is located outside of town centres.
ACS has also responded to the Minister’s announcement on retail to residential change of use, expressing concerns about the impact that a free-for-all in town centres would have in the long term.
Mr Lowman continued: “We support greater flexibility of use where there is over provision of retail space but the development of local plans with a long term vision for housing, leisure and retail allocation in a community should be the priority of every local planning team.
“It is essential that the economic and social impact of converting shops to housing is assessed - flexibility of use must not be at the expense of the viability of local shopping areas.”
