OUT OF TOWN SHOPPING CENTRES

That this House is concerned by proposals from the Competition Commission in its Provisional Findings report 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 majority of supermarkets are already being built in out of town centres; notes that many independent smaller shops are closing each year and reducing people's choice of where to shop; believes that a weakening of policy in this way would allow all types of retail to locate out of town leading to an increase in car-based shopping and related climate change emissions; further believes that there will be a disproportionate effect on households without cars if more local shops are lost; and calls on the Government to retain key existing tests such as need, accessibility and scale and to strengthen, rather than weaken, planning policy for town centres by also introducing a presumption against out of town retail development and new tests for diversity, local economic impact and carbon emissions.