Retail surgery: Does localism have implications for warehouse development?

The Government is promoting the Localism Bill as part of a wider strategy to drive decision making on development and other matters to the lowest level possible. It will mean major changes to planning and development for retail logistics parks and give local people more power. Local authorities will be able to set their own fees for planning applications and communities will have more of a say in the use and, probably, quantity of financial contributions made by developers.

For retail development, retailers will need to engage more with local communities to persuade them of the needs and benefits of large new logistics infrastructure. For instance, many communities overlook the fact that retail distribution parks deliver major regional investment and create job opportunities.While some retailers will have a specialist in-house team that may be able to address localism issues, others will need to work closely with developers to ensure the benefits are communicated effectively.

Don Morgan, planning and development director at logistics firm Gazeley, says: “While it’s laudable we should all have more control over things that affect our lives, there will inevitably be some unintended and unwelcome consequences of localism for retail development. Decisions will take more time as there will need to be an understanding of how the systems work; we also expect to see an increase in ‘nimby-ism’, which could slow down growth in the retail sector and adversely affect the economy.”

The retail sector should also look to the National Planning Policy Framework to guide development. This will aim to help development in all sectors take into account the wider national perspective, alongside the local, to stay in line with the Government’s plans for strong, sustainable and balanced growth.