The government has rejected Mary Portas’s recommendation of a clampdown on the opening of new out-of-town shopping centres.
The Department for Communities and Local Government said it had accepted almost all of the self-styled retail expert’s recommendations in the review commissioned by prime minister David Cameron but it did not agree that the secretary of state should personally sign off all new out-of-town shopping centres. The government said the 100 British councils with the biggest number of empty shops would share £10m of public funding to help bring them back into use. The government hopes local landlords and councils will match the money. Grant Shapps, minister for housing and local government, is expected to give a formal response to the Portas review today.
30/03/12 Financial Times 2
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Independent 59
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