Partner Article

Greggs MD questions Governments planning system

The Government’s planning system took a battering from one of the region’s business leaders at last weeks British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) annual conference, reports Richard Duncan.

Greggs, managing director, Ken McMeikan, expressed his dismay at the barriers placed in the way of successful companies looking to open new sites in theUK.

He took part in a panel debate during which he highlighted the issues his company had endured in trying to get new sites off the ground.

Mr McMeikan said that Greggs planned to open 80 new shops this year and that, in doing so, it was coming up against wildly differing operating practices across the scores of local authorities to which it has submittedplanning applications.

Mr McMeikan said the way they had to deal differently across authority boundaries even extended to areas such as payment where some councilsrequested cheques, others wanted credit card payments and some expectedonline payments.

Each had different forms to fill in and there were wide variations on the procedures followed.He pointed out that 80 new stores was the equivalent to Tesco opening one supermarket and yet Gregg’s was facing up 80 times the amount of work.

The net result was that it made it more difficult for smaller High Streetshops to set up and encouraged a move to out of town shopping centres.

James Ramsbotham, NECC chief executive, empathised with Gregg’s position, he said: “The situation faced by Gregg’s as it tries to grow is a classicexample of why the UK’s planning system is in tatters.

“The system works against growth and is not fit for the 21st Century.

“The Government needs to overhaul the planning system and do it quickly ifit is to see the level of growth that we so desperately need here in theUK.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .