Empty Shops in Town Centres

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 1:52 pm on 3 October 2018.

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Photo of Mohammad Asghar Mohammad Asghar Conservative 1:52, 3 October 2018

Cabinet Secretary, the increasing tendency for consumer spending to shift online and to out-of-town retail parks has resulted in the closure of many shops in city centres around south-east Wales. The Centre for Cities think-tank has said struggling city centres should end their dependency on retail by replacing shops with offices and housing. They point out that in Newport, more than 40 per cent of commercial space is in retail—much of it is struggling. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree that the future of our high street lies in more than retail and what plan does she have to change planning laws to make it easier to convert retail outlets into housing or office units? Thank you.