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We are concerned by the Government’s confirmation that change of use from office to retail...
Recommendation
We are concerned by the Government’s confirmation that change of use from office to retail no longer requires a sequential test to protect main town centre uses, and we welcome the Secretary of State’s recent commitment to us to look again at this issue. We reiterate our recommendation from our report on Permitted Development Rights that the Government should consider amending the use class regime to prevent out-of-town commercial and business premises from being converted to retail without having first gone through the sequential test.
Paragraph Reference
115
Government Response
Acknowledged
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We are encouraged to see recent reports suggesting high streets vacancy rates are in decline. Local Data Company data has shown that vacancy rates fell for the first time since 2018 in the second half of 2021.
Source
Report
Sixth Report - Supporting our high streets after COVID-19
10 Dec 2021
HC 37
Addressee Bodies
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Timeline
Recommendation age
4.5 yrs
Report published
10 Dec 2021