A plan for Putney

Earlier this week the Labour Government set out several ideas to help councils like Wandsworth make life easier for town centres. Here are just a few of the policies:

• Special planning permission waivers called Local Development Orders allow the council to implement more flexible planning policies more quickly


• We want to get empty premises back in use - for however short or long a period as possible, But landlords need to know that there is a proper legal basis for such temporary uses, so the government has created "fast-track" specimen legal documents that landlords can use for temporary occupiers.


• For landlords still not happy about leasing to unknown short-term tenants, we're also giving them the option of leasing to the council - as an intermediary - who in turn can grant their own temporary lease to a local group for community uses.


• And the Government's 'Real Help for Business now' plan offers free business health checks, skills training, and a £20billion working capital scheme. 70% of all properties will now be exempted from empty property rates and businesses can also defer 60% of next year?s rate increase and transitional relief increase to the following two years.


• Town centre planning rules already give council the power to refuse a new development that might harm the high street. Local planning and licensing powers can also limit a particular type of shop in a town to prevent too much of the same business or unwanted nightlife. For me this has been local Conservatives' biggest failing: they've had the power to safeguard our town centre from overdevelopment and clone shops and they've chosen not to. They must now right this wrong.
  
• Finally. local business can agree with councils to establish Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) using ring fenced business rates to improve the business environment of the town centre. 71 BIDs have been established since 2004.

Now I admit that each of these schemes isn't the most exciting-sounding idea: but boring policy is often good policy that works. We just need the local leadership to see that Putney doesn't have to be this grotty, congested, polluted and run-down place but could be a vibrant shopping hub like Kingston, Fulham Broadway or Barnes.