High Streets

Debate between Richard Fuller and Andrew Gwynne

Wednesday 16th October 2013 Commons Chamber

[Richard Fuller]

Presumably those places were built and have succeeded because that is how people want to shop. It is now very difficult to unbuild them. What is the hon. Gentleman’s answer? Does he want to change the decisions that people make about how and where they shop?

[Andrew Gwynne]

Absolutely not. I was going to make the point that these are long-term trends. We cannot put the genie back in the bottle. However, we cannot get away from the fact that the way in which we shop has changed and one reason for that is the rise in the number of out-of-town shopping centres.