FSB hit out at retail plan deferment

The Federation of Small Businesses today slammed the decision to defer the publication of the draft planning guidelines which govern retail development in Northern Ireland.

FSB Regional Chairman John Friel said: “Small Business Owners will find it completely unacceptable that Lord Rooker has chosen to delay the draft retail plan, which will only confirm the view that the NIO only care for the views of large multi-national supermarkets who have forced many small retailers to close in Northern Ireland because out of town development.

“The question has to be asked does the Minister care at all for the views of our local small business owners."

Mr Friel said that the development of out of town shopping centres was crippling many long-standing small businesses in communities throughout Northern Ireland, claiming that many of these local traders provided a high standard of customer service which larger stores could not provide.

“We have witnessed the destruction of community infrastructure with the closure of local retailers unable to compete. The local services they provided where particularly important to the elderly and the more vulnerable in the community who have no access to transport,” said Mr Friel. “If the Government is serous about wanting small businesses to be the backbone of our economy then it must call a moratorium on the building of any more out of town shopping centres. Once again, small businesses feel they have been let down by Direct Rule ministers.”

Announcing that the publication of the draft planning guidance, known as Planning Policy Statement 5 (PPS 5) was to be deferred, Minister of State Jeff Rooker said he wished to "monitor developments in respect of judicial reviews into his decision to approve plans for a John Lewis store at Sprucefield near Lisburn, before publishing Draft PPS 5."

The Minister said: "I think this is just common sense. Of course, I am conscious of the desire for Draft PPS 5 to be published as soon as possible and would hope to do just that. This position will be kept under review."

The current Sprucefield planning application includes a major department store with John Lewis Partnership as the anchor tenant, 29 smaller units; restaurants; and a five level multi-storey car park.

While the proposal has attracted support from Lisburn City Council on the grounds of inward investment and job creation, a number of objections have led to four pending judicial reviews of the decision process.

(SP/MB)