Deputy Prime Minister John
Prescott has urged retailers to concentrate expansion in towns and cities,
instead of building new stores on green-field sites.
Speaking at the planning and
productivity conference, Prescott launched the revised Planning Policy Statement
on Planning for Town Centres (PPS6), which encourages retailers to develop in
towns and cities rather than in out-of-town locations.
PPS6 will require local
authorities to plan for growth in town centres and will encourage expansion
where it will help further development.
It is also designed to encourage
business-driven regeneration of Britain’s town centres.
"This re-affirms our
commitment to town centres and seeks to encourage the urban renaissance we are
experiencing in many of our cities. Regional and local planning authorities
will need to take a proactive role – working closely with the private sector to
identify town centre and edge of centre sites for new retail, leisure and
mixed-use developments," he said.
The new document is out for public
consultation until 15 March 2004.
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