Town centre trade should be strengthened by new planning regulations being introduced by the Government.

Small, independent shops should be the winners from the reforms, which will make it harder for superstores to expand on out-of-town sites.

Most new planning applications will have to include a "design and access statement" to ensure their quality. But crucially for small businesses, the big stores won't be allowed to increase their internal floorspace by more than 200 square metres without planning permission. At the moment, many are side-stepping the need for permission by using their mezzanines.