Industry chiefs call for “localism – not nimbyism”

A locally-driven planning system can provide the catalyst to unlock development and help grow the UK economy – but only if communities get real incentives to accept new development, an industry summit was told.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, and Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Corporate and Legal Affairs Director at Tesco, told the breakfast seminar that the property and retail sectors were ideally-placed to play a key role in delivering Government’s objectives for a private sector-driven recovery.

However, this will require government to press ahead as soon as possible with plans to give communities direct incentives to back sustainable development, such as the New Homes Bonus and the local retention of business rates.

Peace said: “The Government’s desire to see a locally-drive planning system has the potential to deliver better development that has real buy-in from local communities. However, we would urge ministers to ensure their planning changes help stimulate the growth needed to get the economy moving and pull the country out of debt. Incentives to expedite new development are needed to ensure that localism does not lead to nimbyism.”

The event, Supporting Economic Growth Through Planning Reform, hosted by the BPF and Tesco at One Birdcage Walk, SW1, also saw the publication of a University of Southampton study into the impact of supermarket development on market towns and district centres.

The three-year study revealed that supermarkets built on the edge of town centres play an important role in enhancing their vitality and viability. It also found little support for widely held views linking supermarket development to the decimation of existing centres and their retail diversity.

Neil Wrigley, Professor of Human Geography at the University of Southampton, said: “Supermarkets built in the centre or edge of centres sites play a vital role in helping to maintain and enhance the role of district centres. The claw back trade in to the town.”

Neville-Rolfe added: "Against a background of savings and cuts, it is clear that the private sector can play a key role in delivering the Government’s objectives for development and growth. This new research from the University of Southampton shows that retail will be able to make an important contribution to this agenda by encouraging vibrant high streets, improving the fortunes of town centres and supporting local economies. "