LONDON: Call for small businesses to be protected (From News Shopper)

LONDON: Call for small businesses to be protected

4:13pm Wednesday 28th July 2010 in

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COUNCILS should be given more powers to protect small shops from big chain stores, a report says.

The London Assembly’s Cornered Shops report documents the decline of neighbourhood shops and calls for them to be given more protection.

It says that across the capital the big four supermarkets now account for three-quarters of the grocery market.

Members are calling on Mayor of London Boris Johnson to give councils more power to resist or negotiate on planning applications from big retailers.

Deputy chairman of the planning and housing committee Jenny Jones said: “The mayor must lead on changing the planning system to empower boroughs to take back control of their high streets and protect local shops from further decline.”