The ALMR has welcomed the creation of the All Party Parliamentary Group for New Towns (APPG) and called on it to ensure it considers the vital social and economic role of hospitality businesses in communities.
The APPG was launched yesterday with the aim of delivering a wave of new towns across the UK. The parliamentary group will be chaired by Lucy Allan MP for Telford, who will work alongside the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), and the Secretary of State for Housing.
ALMR Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said, “Pubs, bars and other hospitality venues are valuable social spaces and focal points for communities. As the Group begins to make its plans for new towns of the 21st Century, we are reminding them of the positive contribution, both economic and social, that hospitality businesses make to villages, towns and cities.
“In any thriving new community, hospitality venues can provide jobs for residents and can be a centre for the communal life bringing people together, with pubs particularly flourishing in this role. A new town without a social communal space including pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars will, in all probability, lack the sense of cohesion and vitality that only hospitality venues can provide.
“With a blank slate from which to work, planners also have a great opportunity to ensure they plan positively in a way that gives hospitality venues an opportunity to thrive in an environment free from hassle. The creation of a new town is a fantastic opportunity to produce a new community with its own identity. Hospitality businesses will be vital to a new town’s success.”