Business leaders have expressed fears over controversial new plans to relax planning laws.
The Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce says the Government’s proposals to loosen the rules governing changes in the use of buildings from commercial to residential will see small shopkeepers and businesses ousted to make way for more profitable housing schemes.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has put the proposal out for consultation. Brighton and Hove City Council has approached the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce to get the views of businesses in the city.
A Chamber spokesman said its members are anxious about the lack of smaller space for offices and workshops, particularly near the city centre, and the increasing threat to retail space throughout the city.
Mark Froud, chief executive at Sussex Enterprise, the county’s chamber, said the proposals would have unintended consequences for businesses.
He said: “The local authority needs to think very carefully about this relaxation because it could cost jobs.”
For full story see today’s Argus
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