The government announced on Tuesday 6 September that it would act to clarify the regulations concerning dark stores and dark kitchens, by strengthening the regulatory powers of mayors, according to AFP.
The French government will issue a decree in the next few days to put an end to the "vagueness" about dark stores and dark kitchens, these premises dedicated to the preparation of deliveries, by strengthening the regulatory power of mayors, it announced on Tuesday 6 September. With this future decree, "dark stores are considered as warehouses, whether or not there is a point of withdrawal", said the Minister Delegate for Trade Olivia Grégoire at the end of a consultation meeting with local elected representatives in Paris.
By becoming warehouses, and no longer shops, these places could be forced to close if the local urban planning scheme (PLU) prohibits this type of activity at their address. Concerning dark kitchens, "it has been agreed with elected representatives to create a new specific category", the government stated in a press release.
Local authorities and mayors will be able to regulate, ban or not ban them according to their wishes
In mid-August, the Paris City Council, the main city involved, had criticised a draft ministerial decree that would have authorised these places where everyday products are stored, which can be ordered on the internet and delivered in 10 minutes, to be considered as commercial or catering premises, as long as they have a collection point for the public. But with the new legislation, "there will be no more vagueness", promised Olivier Klein, Minister for the City and Housing, for whom businesses that have not made the legal changes will be in breach and will "very likely" have to close down at the end of the legal procedure.
This text will be a "tool so that local authorities and mayors can regulate, prohibit or not according to their wishes", summarised Olivia Grégoire, for whom "this is not the end of dark stores". "We will know in which neighbourhoods they are allowed and in which they are not", said Olivier Klein, who believes that the establishment of these shops was "finished in the heart of the city". "The government confirms the illegality observed, particularly in Paris, on dozens of dark stores and therefore the need for their immediate closure," reacted Emmanuel Grégoire, deputy mayor of Paris, who had launched the protest against the previous draft decree in August.
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