ABSTRACT

The period following the war witnessed many problems. Amongst them was one of shortage of staff. Combined with the demands of consumers for an increasingly specialized and sophisticated range of goods and services, and associated changes in the economic organisation of the retail industry, intstigated a transformation in the character of the urban retail system. As the post-war years unfolded, planning law grew in scope and complexity, but the basic, pivotal components of the local formulation of a development plan and the need for planning permission to carry out development remained at its heart. The '50s saw the supermarket breed flourish, and they developed in a razzmatazz atmosphere, epitomised by the early Tesco concept of 'pile' em high and sell 'em cheap'. In the '60s, the traditional, hierarchical retail structure was thought capable of the efficient provision of services, the main objective of retail planning was to maintain the status quo. In the '70s, covered shopping centres had arrived.