Green light for UK superstore retailers
Rules on out-of-town stores relaxed
The UK’s biggest retailers have won a key political battle which could clear the way for a new wave of out-of-town superstore developments.
The Daily Telegraph reports that Chancellor Gordon Brown is behind crucial changes to draft planning guidance published by the government.
This will potentially give retailers such as Tesco, Asda, Ikea and Kingfisher, owner of B&Q, a strong defence if local authorities oppose their planning applications for out-of-town stores.
The new guidance says that councils should “take into account any genuine difficulties in operating the applicant’s business model” in town centre of edge-of-town sites.
[img r]b&qstore.jpg[/img]Retailers would argue that large formats such as Tesco Extra, Asda Wal-Mart Supercentre, and B&Q Warehouse are essentially out-of-town models.
The present rules use a “sequential test” for proposed new stores and extensions, first asking if the same retail space could be provided in a centre or edge-of-town development.
The Telegraph said that retailers have lobbied the Treasury, arguing that current planning rules intended to protect high streets are too restrictive.
The draft planning rules have been published on the website of the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. Consultation on the new draft ended last week.
