§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on his Department's policy(a) towards new out of town shopping centre developments and (b) on new shopping centre developments within existing towns. [49002]
§ Mr. ByersThe Government's planning policy for town centres and retail developments, which is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 6: Town Centres and Retail Developments (PPG6), seeks to sustain and enhance the vitality and viability of our existing city, town and district centres to make them the focus for retail and other investment. The policy contributes to delivering the urban renaissance, securing more sustainable patterns of development and promoting social inclusion.
Proposals for new developments within existing city, town and district centres are not subject to the main policy tests in PPG6. They should, however, be in accordance with an up-to-date development plan and of a scale that is appropriately related to the size and function of centre, and its catchment, that they seek to serve.
Development proposals for new shopping centres outside city, town and district centres, or extensions to existing ones, are subject to the policy tests in PPG6. Where proposals are not in accord with an up-to-date development plan there is a requirement to demonstrate the need for any additional retail provision and to apply a sequential approach to selecting the location, starting with town centre sites, followed by edge-of-centre and only then out-of-centre sites in locations which are accessible by a choice of means of transport. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate that in considering more central locations they have been flexible about the format, scale and design of their development proposals and the amount of car parking.
A shopping centre proposal which a local planning authority is minded to permit and which is not in accord with the development plan for the area should be referred to my Department in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation) (Departures) Directions 1999. The Town and Country Planning (Shopping Development) (England and Wales) (No.2) Direction 1993 requires referral of applications for retail proposals above a prescribed size. In the case of referral under either Direction, the Secretary of State will then decide whether the proposal should be called in for his own determination.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans his Department has to alter planning guidance and regulations relating to shopping centre developments;and if he will list the changes to planning guidance and planning regulations relating to shopping centre developments since 1997. [49001]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 17 April 2002]: We have no plans to alter planning guidance and regulations relating to shopping centre developments.
1091WThere have been no changes to the policy since 1997, but it has been clarified through the following official statements and documents:
the Government Response (July 1997) to the House of Commons Environment Committee's report, "Shopping Centres" (1996–97), which reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the policy in PPG6:the parliamentary answer of 5 December 1997 (Hansard Vol. 302, columns 401–402) by the Minister for Planning, clarifying that extensions to existing retail developments would be subject to the same policy tests as new development;the statement of 11 February 1999 by the Minister for Planning, clarifying that the need for new retail development should be taken into account in assessing development proposals; andthe Government Response (May 2000) to the House of Commons Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee's report on "The Environmental Impact of Supermarket Competition" (1999–2000), which among other issues, clarified how the sequential approach should be used to assess new retail development.The revision of PPG13: "Transport", published last year, supports PPG6 in identifying preferred locations for key town centre uses, including offices. It introduced maximum parking standards for shopping and other town centre developments.
The Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation)(Departures) Directions 1999 reduced the floorspace threshold under which local planning authorities are required to refer to the Secretary of State planning applications involving retail and other commercial uses, from 10,000 to 5,000 square metres.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish a list of shopping centre planning applications that have been called in by his Department and the former Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions since 1997. [49003]
§ Mr. ByersSince 1997, 30 shopping centre applications have been called in for the Secretary of State's determination. These are listed by region. For the purposes of the question shopping centres are developments involving 5,000 square metres or more of floorspace, including factory outlet centres. They do not include retail warehouse parks, individual freestanding retail warehouses, warehouse clubs or supermarkets.
1092W
Date of call-in Location of application North-west January 1998 Town Square Centre, Oldham, Greater Manchester December 1999 Linkway, Bolton, Greater Manchester September 2000 Ashton Road, Denton, Tameside, Greater Manchester May 2001 Frontierland, Morecambe, Lancaster, Lancashire North-east June 1997 Backworth, Tyne and Wear January 1999 Dalton Flatts, Murton, Easington, Co. Durham March 1999 Red Quadrant, Metrocentre, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear April 2001 Dalton Flatts, Murton, Easington, Co. Durham Yorkshire and the Humber May 2000 Gannex Mills, Elland, Halifax, West Yorkshire April 2001 Castlegate/Piccadilly, York West Midlands January 1999 Arena Central, Birmingham July 2000 Overross, Ross On Wye, Herefordshire East Midlands April 2000 Springfields Gardens, Spalding, Lincolnshire May 2001 Springfield Business Park, Grantham, Lincolnshire
Date of call-in Location of application East of England July 2001 Belvedere Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk London September 1998 Brent Cross, Hendon Way, London South-west October 1997 Broadmoor Farm, Saltash, Cornwall October 1998 Victoria Park, Roche, Cornwall July 1999 Flowers Brewery Site, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire January 2000 Aldermeads, Wincanton, Somerset October 2000 Symes Avenue, Bristol South-east May 1998 Bracknell Town Centre, Berkshire (two applications) October 1998 Main Square, Camberley, Surrey (three applications) March 1999 Bietigheim Way, Main Square, Camberley, Surrey October 1999 Main Square/Park Street, Camberley, Surrey (two applications) February 2001 Westgate Shopping Centre, Oxford