§ 60 and 61. Mr. Wadeasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) to what extent, in approving planning applications for the development of town centres, account is taken of the desirability of preserving existing shopping centres, or alternatively, of ensuring that the occupiers of existing shops are offered suitable alternative accommodation;
(2) whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that where the occupiers of shops and other business premises are disturbed owing to the replanning of town centres they will be offered alternative accommodation and will be entitled to compensation for loss of good will.
§ Mr. RipponThe merits of existing shopping centres and the interests of occupiers of existing shops are certainly among the factors to be weighed in considering proposals for town centre redevelopment. If the local authority have to acquire some of the land for redevelopment, existing legislation already provides both for compensation for loss of good will and, so far as practicable, for displaced traders and other business occupiers to be offered reasonable alternative accommodation on terms which have regard to the price at which their land was acquired.