Search News

Results: 1-10 of 1048


Start again

22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime...

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with...

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to...

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.

8 Mar 2024

Daniel Blackham, editor of industry magazine BikeBiz, has been writing about his experience of completing the Cytech technical one qualification at training provider Spokes People in Milton...

6 Mar 2024

Cytech partner Activate Cycle Academy, the largest and most recognised training provider of bike maintenance and technical training courses to the UK’s cycle industry, recently welcomed a...

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of...

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.

Back to news menu

Leading industry bodies warn that plan for vacant shop-to-residential conversions will not save our high streets

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News , Political News

On the 18Closed streetth Feb 2021 leading industry bodies, including The ACT, ActSmart and many other members of the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), issued a joint letter to The Rt. Hon. Robert Jenrick MP - Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) - to urge the Government to recognise that its proposals for a blanket permitted development right on our high streets, enabling conversions to residential without planning permission, puts the future of our town centres at serious risk.

However, the MHCLG have now confirmed that the simplified planning process for retail to residential conversions will be going ahead.

The simplified planning process applies to units vacant for at least three months and smaller than 1,500 square metres. These conversions will no longer require full planning permission but instead use prior approval processes to sign off conversions unless there are significant flooding or noise concerns. This concludes MHCLG's consultation on planning flexibility and supporting housing delivery.

The proposal has been positioned as supporting new housing delivery, and part of the solution to the challenges facing UK town centres and high streets - especially in the wake of numerous lockdowns and tiering restrictions due to the Covid pandemic. 

Many organisations, including the British Property Federation (BPF) and London First are opposing the government proposals, saying the "uncontrolled conversion" of vacant shops to residential "will not save our high streets " and "damage town centres".

The BPF launched an appeal to urge the UK Government to recognise "the damaging impact" the plans could have on the future of the country's high streets. The BPF said the proposal would have significant adverse consequences and exacerbate the decline of the UK's high streets, far outweighing any positive contribution to new housing supply.

The lobby group said post-Covid high street recovery would depend on a "vibrant and carefully curated mix" of retail, residential, leisure, hospitality, education, healthcare, logistics and community facilities and services.

"Rather than encouraging careful consideration of what might be the most appropriate use for a store and its location, within the context of the entire high street, this new PDR will result in property developers prioritising residential," the BPF stated.

 

Back to news menu

Useful links

If you have any other queries please contact us.