Planning Policy And Supermarkets

EDM number 1371 in 2007-08, proposed by Clive Betts on 21/04/2008.
Categorised under the topics of Planning and Service industries.

That this House welcomes the decision by the Competition Commission, reported in its Provisional Decision on Planning Remedies report, not to proceed with previous recommendations to weaken planning policy and planning policy statements in relation to town centres to allow for more supermarkets to be built on the edge of towns and in out of town locations; notes that the recommended remedies from the Competition Commission include a competition assessment to prevent an individual retailer gaining a very high level of concentration in local markets but is disappointed that the Commission's proposal would only apply if a retailer gained 60 per cent. of the local market and that the remedies will do nothing to halt the closure of independent smaller shops; further notes that a high percentage of new supermarkets continue to be built out of town leading to an increase in car-based shopping and related climate change emissions; believes that there will be a disproportionate effect on households without cars if more local shops are lost; and calls on the Government, in its forthcoming revision of Planning Policy Statement 6, to retain key existing tests such as need, accessibility and scale and to strengthen planning policy for town centres and encourage a better mix of retail by also introducing a presumption against out of town retail development and new tests for diversity, local economic impact and carbon emissions.

This motion has been signed by a total of 189 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.