Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s plan for revitalising high streets

The Labour leader visited Crawley and said he would revitalise high streets by reversing changes to planning laws which have been opposed by the town’s council and business groups.
Jeremy Corbyn at caterpillars pre schoolJeremy Corbyn at caterpillars pre school
Jeremy Corbyn at caterpillars pre school

Jeremy Corbyn said he would end permitted development laws and that he was confident Labour would win in the town in the next general election when he visited Caterpillar Pre-School yesterday (November 11).

Permitted development rights (PDR) allow disused office, commercial or retail space to be converted into private sector housing without the need for planning permission from the borough council.

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He said: “I would re-empower local authorities to ensure fewer out of town developments, more high street-needed developments and balance shopping opportunity in them because otherwise we just end up with high streets all across the country which are fundamentally dead and some people who can do car-based suburban shopping doing so but others simply not having them stuck with a small number of high-end quite expensive shops.

“We need to reinvigorate our high streets and I feel very strongly the high street is a very important thing in any town.

“It’s your centre of your community, your life and you should be able to do your life and you should be able to shop as well as your leisure activities so we need a balance in high streets.

“They cannot just be charity shops, estate agents and pay-day loan companies.”

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During his visit the Labour leader also spoke to parents and staff about his opposition to Tory proposals to cut working tax credits.

Crawley business leaders voiced their disappointment over central government’s decision to make PDR, which were introduced temporarily in 2013, permanent in May 2016.

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