‘Help fight child obesity by giving us power to ban takeaways near schools’

Earning a crust: Pizza Inn in Clapham is less than half a mile from three schools
Lucy Young
Pippa Crerar1 March 2016

Town halls in the capital want stronger planning powers to fight childhood obesity by clamping down on fast food outlets near schools.

London Councils, representing the 33 local authorities, also wants to make it tougher for takeaways to appeal against decisions banning them from certain locations.

It has called on the Government to put more emphasis on public health so it is not always trumped by economic development in the planning process.

Islington is among the boroughs which now have a policy against new hot food takeaways within 200 metres of primary and secondary schools.

The council also requires new outlets which are granted planning permission to sign up to minimum healthy catering standards.

37%


 10 and 11-year-olds in London considered overweight

London has the highest number of obese 10- and 11-year-olds in the country. Thirty-seven per cent are overweight, compared with 33 per cent nationally.

Officials are worried that secondary school children, many of whom are allowed to leave school premises at lunchtime, are unable to resist junk food if it is available nearby.

Children from deprived backgrounds are twice as likely to be overweight as those from more affluent homes. London contains 10 of the 33 poorest local authorities.

Last week, the Department of Health delayed its eagerly awaited strategy for tacking childhood obesity from this month until the summer.

Many campaigners and health charities have called for a sugary drinks tax. Others want to see an end to buy-one-get-one-free promotions and a ban on junk food advertising before the watershed.

London Councils previously called for the strategy to help boroughs refuse permission for burger bars and chip shops near schools by strengthening the position of public health in the National Planning Policy Framework.

It now wants the Government to act in other ways to simplify the process and improve the consistency of planning decisions.

Under existing rules, decisions to refuse planning permission on public health grounds because of high numbers of takeaways clustered together are often overturned.

The body has also called for increased local power over business rates to enable boroughs to use discounts to encourage healthier food outlets.

Local authorities can refuse permission for a new takeaway within 400 metres of a school’s gates, a play centre or a park under existing planning laws, and it can be tricky for firms to transform vacant shops into takeaways.

That has not prevented a scramble for spots such as one in Clapham Park Road just 710 yards from a primary school and half a mile from two others. A pizza chain, Pizza Inn, won the bid.

Teresa O’Neill, health spokeswoman on London Councils, said: “Giving boroughs more clout in the planning system to prioritise public health will allow us to create a healthier environment for London’s children and young people.”

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