Agenda item
Response from the Planning Service on restricting or reducing the number of hot food takeaways
The Health Select Committee has asked for a statement from the council’s Planning Service on restricting or reducing the number of hot food takeaways in close proximity to schools. This was highlighted as an issue during a discussion on childhood obesity at the committee in February 2010. This briefing is attached as appendix 1.
Minutes:
Following a request from members of the Health Select Committee for a statement from Brent’s Planning Service regarding restricting or reducing the number of hot food takeaways in close proximity to schools, Ken Hullock (Policy Manager, Planning Services) introduced the briefing note. He informed the committee that in order to control hot food takeaways on the grounds of their contribution to childhood obesity, a new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) or a new planning policy in the Development Plan, or both, would be required. He stated that Barking and Dagenham Council and Waltham Forest Council had produced SPDs to help curb the establishment of new hot food takeaways, which they had related to existing policies in their Unitary Development Plan (UDP). He added that if Brent was to pursue an SPD, then Barking and Dagenham’s model would be the preferred model to follow because it was prepared as part of the LDF process and was based upon a stronger evidence base. He stated that a robust local evidence base, which showed that there was a direct link between the over concentration of hot food takeaways and obesity in the borough, would be required, whether Brent was to prepare a planning policy for inclusion in its development plan or an SPD.
Ken Hullock advised that planning controls would be given greater weight if brought forward in the form of a planning policy in the Council’s forthcoming Development Management Policies. This, he added, could then be supported in further detail by a SPD. He advised that an SPD on its own may not have a great deal of weight when considered at an appeal against refusal of planning permission. He stated that Waltham Forest’s and Barking and Dagenham’s SPD had yet to be tested on appeal. However, he advised that because of other priorities and the proposed timetable for producing the new Development Management Policies document, a new policy would be unlikely to be adopted as statutory policy until the end of 2012 at the earliest. Ken Hullock informed the committee that the council had now received the prospective report regarding its core strategy.
In the discussion which followed a concern was raised regarding the amount of time it would take to create a planning policy for inclusion in the council’s forthcoming Development Management Policies, as tackling child obesity should be a priority. In responding to a question, Ken Hullock advised that an SPD could be developed within nine months as it would not need to go through statutory process. A view was put forward by a member of the committee that the SPD route, using the Obesity Strategy to build up evidence, would be the best option. Andrew Davies (Policy and Performance Officer) advised that the Obesity Strategy Group, which met recently, had expressed a wish to pursue this with planning colleagues and to take it forward within the Obesity Strategy. In responding to a question regarding the availability of evidence, Andrew Davies explained that whilst no research had been done as such, PCT representatives on the Obesity Strategy Group felt that there would be evidence available to show the link between the over concentration of hot food takeaways and levels of obesity in the borough. The committee agreed that in the meantime, the issue should be referred to the Planning Committee for their consideration of the issue.
RESOLVED:-
i) that the briefing note on restricting or reducing the number of hot food takeaways be noted;
ii) that the issue of restricting or reducing the number of hot food takeaways in close proximity to schools be referred to the Planning Committee for their consideration.
Supporting documents:
- planning service response to reducing number of hot takeaways covering report, item 7. PDF 62 KB
- planning service response to reducing number of hot takeaways appendix 1, item 7. PDF 119 KB