Jackie Sadek might find our pronouncements on the grocery retail sector a little less Kafkaesque if she read them properly (6 June, page 56).

Then she would have seen that we’re very aware of the importance of grocery stores in regeneration schemes. We have recommended that local authorities should be able to override our proposed competition test where they are satisfied that the development will produce identified benefits to the local area, and the development, or any similar development, would not take place without the involvement of that retailer.

While I must commend Ms Sadek for her honesty in confessing her self-interest, there appear to be others with similar motivations trying to characterise the test as overly complex or incomprehensible. It’s not – it’s just that if one particular retailer is likely to get an unhealthily large foothold in a particular area, there should be the option for another retailer to get a look in instead. Quite straightforward really.

Jackie Sadek might find our pronouncements on the grocery retail sector less kafkaesque if she read them properly

Rory Taylor, Competition Commission

As your readers well know, obtaining planning permission is scarcely a quick or straightforward task, so I’m not sure why the addition of a relatively simple test with clear guidance needs to make a discernable difference. This shouldn’t need to be a Metamorphosis or even a Trial…

Rory Taylor, Competition Commission

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