Case Studies

Waltham Forest planning restrictions for hot food takeaways

Waltham Forest, UK

Waltham Forest Local Borough Council has developed a local planning policy restricting the development of hot food takeaways in local centres, and excluding them completely from areas around 10 minutes walk from schools, parks or other youth centres.

There were local concerns about hot food takeaways, in particular their impact on:

- local amenity - increased litter, noise and smells

- community perceptions of the borough [sustainable communities strategy consultation]

- retail character and function of shopping centres; economic vitality

- traffic flow (increased traffic and congestion around outlets)

- health and childhood obesity rates

How?

Waltham Forest outlined a local planning policy on hot food takeaways in a supplementary planning document (a material consideration in planning decisions) as part of their local development framework. This limits the concentration and clustering of hot food takeaways in town centres, neighbourhood centres or local retail parades.  It also prevents new development of hot food takeaways around schools, parks and youth facilities. 

This was done by introducing:

1. A 400m exclusion zone for A5 development around a school, youth facility or park, where outside a town centre or local parade. This is due to a particular concern about HFTs within easy walking distance to schools and youth facilities.
   

2. A percentage test of A5 uses in an area and a test for the proximity between A5 uses
   

Limitations

• A supplementary planning document (SPD) does not carry as much weight in a planning decision as a statutory development plan document (refer to background section for more information on these types of planning documents)

• Exclusion zone does not apply to high streets or retail centres