Figures from property consultancy CBRE show that supermarket expansion has increased dramatically since the the beginning of the recession.
According to a report in The Times (22 December) the total pipeline of planned or proposed supermarkets has soared 54% since summer 2007 when the credit crunch began its grip.
81% of this proposed expansion would take the form of out of town developments.
The news comes just two weeks after Mary ‘Queen of Shops’ Portas completed her review into the future of the high street. Portas argued for government intervention to prevent further damage to town centre from ‘unsustainable’ out of town developments.
While ministers consider her recommendations, under pressure from big retailers to reject many of them, one top property management expert told The Times to expect “two years of carnage as supermarkets build what they want” as a direct result of Coalition changes to planning laws allowing “presumption in favour of sustainable development”.
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