New Clause 28 - Development control
Planning and Compulsory Purchase (Re-committed) Bill
10:30 am
Mr Matthew Green (Ludlow, Liberal Democrat)
The hon. Gentleman has raised another potential loophole that I do not think the new clause, which deals with the increase of retail floor space, covers. I have even heard that, at some stores, there have been projects to dig down and put in new floors below the ground level of the existing shop. Again, that does not require planning permission, but goes against the spirit of using the planning system to ensure fairness across the retail sector.
The idea is not that there should not be mezzanine floors, but that proposals for them should come before the planning committee and be considered like anything else. If there is good reason for them, they will be granted planning permission. Such proposals would also require environmental impact assessments and probably traffic impact assessments, because, given the size of some mezzanine floors, the doubling of a floor space could easily lead to a significant increase in traffic to a certain store.
If the new clause were accepted, all that would be considered. The new clause does not mean, ''No mezzanine floors,'' but, ''Let us have mezzanine floors only where they have gone through the planning process.''