A year after the government enshrined town centre first in its new planning policy, councils continue to grant permission for millions of square feet of new out-of-town grocery space.

Figures seen by The Grocer reveal that since the government introduced its new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last March - the growth in applications for, permissions granted and construction of out-of-town grocery stores has continued to outstrip that of town centre schemes.

In September 2012, there was 39.51 million sq ft of out-of-town grocery space in the pipeline, up from 36.81 million sq ft in March 2012, according to the Campaign to Protect Rural England data. The town centre pipeline has grown to just 8.93 million sq ft from 8.54 million sq ft in the same period.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said the figures indicated the NPPF was not being enforced as intended. He also warned that “planning approvals for out-of-town developments that are not even being built are acting as a barrier to the investment needed to regenerate towns”.

One of the cornerstones of the NPPF is the ‘sequential test’, which requires planning applicants to prove, and a council to be satisfied, that there are no sites within or closer to the town centre where a store could be located. The other is the ‘impact test’, which requires that the proposed out-of-town development does not have an adverse impact on the town centre.

Controversial applications can also be ‘called in’ by government, which then gives the final decision on whether plans breach these tests.

The Grocer understands that since last March, a total of 177 requests have been made to call in developments. To date, just 42 have been called in, six of which were retail schemes.

“The infrastructure of the planning system that is expected to deliver the policy outcomes is struggling under the weight of budget cuts, lacking in retail planning expertise and constantly outmanoeuvred by developers working for major retailers,” said Lowman.

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