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GOVERNMENT IN DOCK OVER SUPERMARKETS

11 Jan 2000

Friends of the Earth has welcomed a report from a cross-Party groups of MPs slamming plans to relax planning controls on supermarkets [1].

But FOE has warned that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) - singled out for criticism by the House of Commons Environment Committee - is only one of the agencies in Government which is considering this environmentally-damaging move. Other backers include key policy advisers in No 10 Downing Street. Mr Blair met supermarket lobbyists before the General Election (the meeting was set up by Lord Sainsbury)and after the Election met representatives of Wal-Mart before the US giant took over Asda. Planning policy was discussed on both occasions.

The House of Commons Environment Committee has said the Office of Fair Trading has “behaved irresponsibly” [2] and has accused the Competition Commission and civil servants in the Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) of not understanding the planning system [3]. The MPs say relaxation of planning controls would be “disastrous”.

Commenting on the report, Friends of the Earth Planning Campaigner Simon McRae said:

“This is a hard-hitting report. It rightly slams the OFT, the Treasury and the DTI for kow-towing to the demands of the supermarkets and their lobbyists. But understandably perhaps, the report leaves Mr Blair and No10 out of the picture. But it's clear that they belong in the same frame.

Big out-of-town supermarkets have damaged town centres and put small community shops out of business. They've encouraged traffic congestion. They've damaged the countryside. We want Mr Blair to make it clear that planning policy guidance on out of town developments and restrictions on car parking will not be relaxed to suit the demands of the retail giants.”

NOTES

1.    The House of Commons Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select committee's second report on the Environmental effects of supermarket competition will be released on Tuesday 11th January 2000 and will be available on the parliamentary website at www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/etrahome.

2.    Quotes from the report:

'We are appalled that the before referring planning matters to the Competition Commission, the OFT took no evidence from planning experts and did not consult the DETR. In failing to take account such expert evidence, it has behaved irresponsibly'.

'..we are concerned that the competition authorities and some Treasury and DTI officials, who do not understand the planning system, may now be seeking relaxations in it and may hope that such a policy can be introduced after the report of the Competition Commission. This would be disastrous'.

'The existing planning policy guidance on Town Centres and Retail Developments is widely supported.....We have rarely seen so much support for a Government Policy'.

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