British Retail Consortium - Policies & Issues

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Planning

PPS4

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Policies & Issues

PLANNING

Planning is a critical business issue for all BRC members, large and small, and our membership submits thousands of planning applications every year. These range in scale from large multi-million pound supermarkets to signage changes for local high-street stores. This gives us direct experience of the planning system at every level across the UK.

At its best, planning can add value to local communities by protecting and improving the quality of life and enforcing standards, and it can provide certainty for business investment decisions. It is also an expression of the economic and social priorities of the local community. However, persistent under-funding of planning directorates within local authorities and instances of poor management mean that regeneration projects that offer major social and economic benefits can take years to progress through the planning system because of appeals, delays and inquiries.

The BRC commissioned a report in 2009 that looked at Planning Best Practice in relation to retail. The Planning Best Practice Guide highlights opportunities for improving the effectiveness of retail policies at the regional, sub-regional and local levels within the planning system and recommends four ways this can be accomplished:

- Creating a consistent vision;
- Choosing sustainable locations;
- Regenerating communities; and
- Leading the way.

The Planning Best Practice Guide informed the consultation on PPS4, Planning for Sustainable Growth, which supersedes PPS6: Planning for Town Centres.

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