According to reports in today’s Evening Standard, ‘PPS6: Planning for Town Centres’ will be amended to ensure that new out-of-town developments do not damage smaller shops.

The current ‘needs test’, which judges whether there is capacity for an out-of-town development, will be scrapped and a new ‘impact test’ will be introduced which will assess the risks and benefits of new developments on town centre shops.

Blears will unveil the plans later in the week.