This planning policy document is aimed at protecting independent in town retailers and assisting in the control of the development of out of town retail developments. The new policy will include an impact statement which will look at a number of issues that will be created by out of town developments, such as the environmental / green development needs, the impact on consumer choice, consumer spending jobs, and the impact on the local high street.
This new policy if used correctly could breathe new life into the zoned town centers and protect them during the commercial property recovery. It should stop the “ghost town”, impact that badly planned out of town developments have been accused of creating in the past.