The aim of the draft Guidelines is to ensure that the planning system plays a key role in ensuring competitiveness in the retail sector advancing choice for the consumer while promoting and supporting the vitality and viability of city and town centres and contributing to a high standard of urban design and encouraging a greater use of sustainable transport.
When finalised after public consultation, the guidelines will replace those issued in 2005. The draft Guidelines take into account the recommendations of a Forfás Study Review of the Economic Impact of the Retail Cap prepared for the Departments of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, and Environment, Community and Local Government. The Study was undertaken as part of the terms of the EU-IMF programme for Financial Support for Ireland in 2010.
The Forfás report concluded that careful usage of caps on the size of certain retail outlets was appropriate in promoting both competitiveness and vitality in the retail sector and that an increase in, or removal of the retail caps would produce mixed results including:
- more vigorous competition in the largest population centres which can support a range of large stores
- in smaller population centres, allowing larger superstores could lead to a greater concentration of retailers’ power and potentially higher prices for consumers.
(CD)