THE SPREAD of out of town shopping centres in the North could jeopardise the future of more than 700 shops and in turn up to 7,000 jobs within five years.
That is the stark warning which is going to be made today in a new report from independent retailers who fear current planning policy is going to put some of them out of business.
The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) claims planning decisions are causing "interim, irreparable damage" to towns and villages. The "Nightmare on every Street" report produced by Donald McFetridge, a university lecturer in retail studies, claims there is now "superstore saturation" in Northern Ireland.
The report highlights how a planning policy - PPS5 - promised five years ago is yet to materialise. It claims towns including Antrim, Ballymena and Banbridge are under threat from out-of-town developments on their doorsteps.
According to the NIIRTA report in a six year period the North's Department of Environment has granted planning permission for in excess of 8.5 million square feet of retail space. The report suggests large multiples are lodging planning applications in the North which would not stand a chance of being granted in the South or in other European countries.
