Action Briefing Apr 2004-May 2004
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

West Midlands News

Supermarket skills-share

As part of the Food Team’s campaign to curb supermarket power, we are planning a series of skills-share sessions on using the planning system to resist new supermarket developments and participating in proactive planning for future retail provision at a local level. The first session will be held in the West Midlands on a Saturday in June.

The sessions will deliver our vision of a retail future freed from the grip of global corporations like Tesco and Walmart, where local food sourcing, strong local economies and accessible local shops are alive and thriving.

Retail planning policy is currently being updated and the new planning policy statement (PPS6) comes into force this summer. Key precedents will be set as local planning authorities interpret the new policies. Big supermarkets will try to use the draft policy to justify large stores on the edge of market towns and as regeneration schemes in urban areas, but the policy does provide new ways for local people to get involved in mapping out the future of retail development in their areas.

The plenary sessions will focus on: 1) FoE’s vision for sustainable retailing; 2) how the planning system can help deliver it; and 3) what this will mean for the West Midlands. Workshop sessions are to cover: 1) how to stop Tesco; and 2) how to get a sustainable retail plan for your area.

Chris Crean