The HBF said it wants to produce a good practice manual, complete with case studies, to show how retailers, housebuilders and employers can work together to create viable communities.
It is looking at the decision-making process used by supermarkets and high-street retailers when they decide where to locate stores and is trying to find ways for housebuilders and retailers to co-operate. A spokesperson for the HBF said: “We’re looking at issues such as how to limit car usage around out-of-town supermarkets. Ideas which are blue-sky at the moment include using the Internet.”
First-round talks with Tesco, Sainsbury, Boots and Safeway are now complete and will resume in the autumn. It is understood that similar talks will take place between the CBI and businesses.
A spokesperson for the HBF said: “It’s about joined-up thinking. We’re at an early stage but we want to look at out-of-town stores in isolated locations. We want to produce guidance on how many homes would be needed to develop a sustainable community around that store.”
Gleeson Homes managing director Clive Wilding welcomed the HBF’s move. He said: “At the moment, retailers seem happy to fight planning authorities for three or four years. Regeneration sites get a lot of support from central and local government and these battles could be avoided. The problem we have with retailers is that they are reluctant to commit at an early stage.”
