The Conservative Party's Commission Into Small Shops has produced a series of recommendations to help reverse the decline of independent retailers.
In its report, A Strategy for Successful Community Hubs, the Commission recommends that government should allow local councils to ensure out-of-town retail developments are needed by local communities and that the need test, under threat in new government proposals, should be retained. It says planning options which allow a diverse retail mix to flourish should be promoted.
It also calls for partnerships between local businesses, and for local businesses to be given a greater voice in decision-making.
ACS chief executive James Lowman, who represented the group on the Commission, said: "This is an important contribution to the debate about the future of high streets.
"The report rightly identifies the risks associated with weak controls on retail development out of town."
In its report, A Strategy for Successful Community Hubs, the Commission recommends that government should allow local councils to ensure out-of-town retail developments are needed by local communities and that the need test, under threat in new government proposals, should be retained. It says planning options which allow a diverse retail mix to flourish should be promoted.
It also calls for partnerships between local businesses, and for local businesses to be given a greater voice in decision-making.
ACS chief executive James Lowman, who represented the group on the Commission, said: "This is an important contribution to the debate about the future of high streets.
"The report rightly identifies the risks associated with weak controls on retail development out of town."
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