EPPING'S distinctive
town centre is in danger of being swamped by multi-nationals, Euro-MP Jean Lambert
has warned following a visit to the town on Saturday (March 22).
Green Party MEP Mrs Lambert made her comments while answering shoppers' questions at a 'street surgery' organised by Epping Forest Green Party.
"Epping's distinctive town centre is under threat from a renewed invasion of chain stores thanks to trade rules which could allow corporations to challenge planning decisions that block new developments," said Mrs Lambert.
Planners could lose their right to reject permission for foreign retailers to build superstores and bulk outlets under a new trade treaty currently being negotiated by the Government at the World Trade Organisation.
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) will open up public services -to international competition. The knock-on effect will be that local planning decisions considered 'restrictive to free trade' will be open to legal challenge, meaning councils may be forced to grant permission for multinationals' developments - or face massive legal bills justifying their decisions in a international court.
"The people I spoke to today are deeply concerned: as a visitor to Epping it's clear the distinctive feel of the town comes from I's healthy mix of independent traders, local businesses and small-scale supermarkets," said Mrs Lambert.
"Other similar-sized towns in Essex, and further afield, have already lost this mix due to the impact of out-of-town superstores and other bulk retailers. GATS will make it almost impossible for local planners to prevent the same thing happening here.
"That would be a tragedy, both for the people of Epping and those who love this distinctive, historic town."
ENDS
Find out more about GATS at the following webpage http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/issues/public_services/index.html