'Queen of shops' unveils radical planning changes to save high streets

The planning framework should contain a presumption in favour of town centre development, according to Mary Portas’s study on reviving Britain’s ailing high streets.

And the retail tsar says new out-of-town developments should require ministerial approval.

Portas, nicknamed Queen of Shops, was commissioned by the coalition to come up with a blueprint to save the nation’s high streets from death-by-internet-and-shopping-mall.

Her report, published today, contains 28 recommendations which include a major relaxation of “use classes” so empty shops can be converted into gyms or cafés in a bid to restore footfall.

She also suggests a National Market Day and measures to make it much easier for ordinary people to take on market stalls.

She wants high streets to be actively included in neighbourhood plans – and calls for a high-profile campaign to engage the public with these plans.

Other key recommendations include:

* All large new developments should have an “affordable shops” quota

* Local authorities should have the power to issue negligent landlords with “empty shop management orders” – or should use compulsory purchase orders.

* Developers should make a financial contribution to ensure the local community has a strong voice in the planning system

* Supporting imaginative community uses of empty properties through “community right to buy”, meanwhile uses and a new “community right to try” scheme.