Saving The High Street

This Report, commissioned by the Government from Mary Portas, was published on 13 December 2011. It recommends a range of remedies for the perceived decline of many High Streets, and the businesses which traditionally populate them. 

Whilst she does not recommend a moratorium on out of town development, she does consider the option of forcing such sites to charge for parking, to help to level the planning field for town centre retailers.

On the planning front, she recommends much greater flexibility, allowing changes of use where retail is no longer viable to office, residential or other compatible uses, relaxing controls on the timing of deliveries and facilitating street markets and other similar uses, which might attract customers back to the High Street.