Pulling the PINS on takeaways

Creating healthier food environments through the planning system

Posted by Callum Bradford and Claire O'Malley, Research Associates, Teesside University

Obesity continues to be significant health and social problem, especially due to its links with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. One potential solution is to change our environment so we are better equipped to make healthier food choices, however, as you can imagine, this is easier said than done!

A tool that can be used to help shape the environment with help from Local Authorities is the Planning System. Many of our towns and cities are full of hot food takeaway outlets and unless you are made of stone (or perhaps a public health researcher?), there will come a day when your motivation is low and you don’t have time to cook a meal, making the local takeaway feel like the obvious solution. But, if we can limit the number of takeaways and improve access to healthier food, we can encourage individuals to make healthier choices.

Research has shown that just over half of Local Authorities in England use the planning system to limit the number of hot food takeaways in their area, with 34% doing so with public health in mind. The most well-known example of this policy is setting a minimum distance a new takeaway must be from local schools, usually set at 400-800m away.

However, when a newly proposed takeaway is rejected, the owner has the right to appeal the decision. This appeal moves the decision from the Local Authority to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Our research looked at the ins-and-outs of this process. Specifically:

• What are the influences behind a decision by the Planning Inspectorate?
• How is the Planning Inspectorate perceived by professionals involved in the process?
• What barriers do Local Authorities need to overcome to win a case?
• What factors make for a better chance of success?

To explore this, we spoke to local planners and public health professionals, including the Planning Inspectorate to get a greater insight into the process.

The main findings from our interviews were that:

1. there was a discrepancy between what public health professionals, planners and the Planning Inspectorate considered to be public health evidence; and
2. how public health professionals countered this with their enthusiasm to try and shape healthier environments.

The Planning Inspectorate was viewed by all as fair and neutral. However, public health professionals believed they had to go out of their way to ‘state the obvious’, in that new takeaway outlets would likely be harmful to local health. Conversely, planners and the PINS were keen to point out that public health is just one small aspect of planning policy.

“I think there seems to be an expectation from the public health side of things that planning will provide policy…like restricting take-aways will be the end of it from a health point of view, and of course planning is not actually designed to do that.”    

Planning Officer

This perceived constraint that health-based evidence was not given enough weight in decisions was offset by the enthusiasm of public health professionals to limit hot food takeaways in their area. They were often very proactive in defending appeal cases, stressing the importance of communication across a Local Authority, finding robust statistical evidence (as opposed to ‘anecdotal qualitative evidence’), and having good knowledge of their local area. Having this information in a Local Authority’s Local Plan (this guides decisions on future development proposals and addresses the needs and opportunities of the area) supported this activity and removed the need for re-researching the area for each application.

“It's all well and good having the policy but it needs the evidence as well to back it up. So, having access to the public health team and the public health evidence is a really, really relevant part of the appeals process” 

Public Health Professional

Planning policy can be used to successfully limit the number of takeaways within a local area. However, if such policies are to be used reliably to prevent their spread in our towns, public health professionals need adequate support to defend appeals, and planning needs to give greater consideration to public health evidence.

Read the research paper here: Regulatory mechanisms to create healthier environments: planning appeals and hot food takeaways in England

Battle planning to reduce childhood obesity

Michael Chang, Co-founder, Health and Wellbeing in Planning Network

Latest statistics show that obesity prevalence is highest in London, the West Midlands and the North East and there is a significant gap in children living in the most and least deprived areas. So I am supportive of Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) using relevant planning powers at their disposal to promote a healthier food environment to help reduce childhood obesity levels and close the inequalities health gap.

Here I want to reflect on efforts by councils to introduce planning policies and guidance to manage unhealthy food environments around schools and other educational settings. It follows on from a previous blog on whether councils have what they need to help tackle obesity?

The context of this blog is the recent session from the draft New London Plan examination on draft Policy E9 C which seeks to control proposals containing hot food takeaway uses (A5 class use in planning terminology) within 400 metres walking distance of an existing or proposed primary or secondary school. Many other local authorities are proposing similar policies and undergoing similar stages of the local plan in the North East and other parts of the country.

The London Plan is the Mayor of London's strategic planning document and sits above individual borough Local Plans. It sets out 'issues of strategic importance' (note terminology used) for all of London while individual borough issues are dealt with at borough level. It is a powerful and influential planning document for borough level planning policies and planning decisions across the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London. It is as upstream as you can get in terms of policy influence. Other areas with Combined Authorities or joint planning units will also be developing these strategic planning documents.

London Plan examination held at London City Hall

What is an examination?

Draft policies need to be tested through an ‘examination’ before they can be adopted by councils. Don't let the terminology put you off - essentially an independently qualified person(s) from the Planning Inspectorate carries out an inquisitorial process on whether to accept, suggest revisions or reject the proposed policies. Often policies on takeaways fall at this hurdle and are subsequently watered-down or deleted altogether.

Policy approaches to managing fast food takeaways

Fast food takeaways, in planning terms in England (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will have their own variations of the use class classification), is a specific use class - A5 - for selling food to be consumed off the premises. Planning permission is needed for change of use to A5 from other uses such as a hairdressers. There are many 'planning' approaches to managing fast food takeaways and only recently have the approaches been influenced by a need to tackle public health issues such as obesity. Latest research by Keeble at al. found 50.5% of LPAs had a policy specifically targeting takeaways with 34.1% focused on health. Planning Practice Guidance, Health and Wellbeing Paragraph 6 sets out examples of approaches for consideration including over-concentration and proximity to certain activities.

Opposing arguments

There are opponents to takeaway policies who believe them to be overly restrictive. Their arguments have some merit, particularly against economic reasons in areas desperate for economic activity. I would suggest policies can be justified as part of a package of policies to tackle unhealthy environments as well as prosperous diverse local economies. Common themes from those opposing include:

• "The policy does not meet National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) soundness tests"
• "There is no objective evidence for any link between the incidence of obesity and the proximity of hot food takeaways to schools" 
• “Obesity is complex and you can’t narrow it down to just takeaways”. 
• "The local area has the lowest percentage of overweight or obese children" 
• "There are unintended consequences for local jobs and employment" 
• "The policy would limit consumer choice and access to retail" 
• "The policy would also ban healthy takeaways and does not address unhealthy food sold in other non-A5 outlets".

Hold your ground: defending a 'sound' takeaways policy

This singular policy issue or public health intervention of managing takeaways is deceptively complex, and battles are taking place up and down the country as councils defend the soundness of policies against objectors as well as the probing questions from inspectors. When defending a takeaway policy, there should be a combination of the following:

• Valid consideration: Be confident that efforts to tackle obesity through the environment can be a material planning consideration.
• Planning basis for obesity: Recognise that the NPPF requires planning to consider all three social, economic and environmental factors equally. But make sure there are priorities on tackling obesity through the environment in local health strategies. 
• Local evidence: Do your research and build up a local evidence base, including the use of up to date data and mapping to demonstrate the scale and location of the problem. This should also include knowing the background of those who operate local businesses – independent or chain. 
• Whole systems approach: Take a corporate approach by referring to programmes such as promoting healthier catering, food growing and education to demonstrate the action is part of a cross-council initiative. Also demonstrate you are planning for a healthy weight environment, and that the takeaways policy is an important part of the jigsaw. 

Researchers, local government and national agencies are aware of these practical challenges hindering local action to make it less easy for kids to become overweight. Concerted efforts and peer support are needed so let’s keep the conversations going.

References:

• Keeble et al., 2019, How does local government use the planning system to regulate hot food takeaway outlets? A census of current practice in England using document review, Health & Place, Volume 57, May 2019, Pages 171-178
• Mayor of London, December 2017, Draft New London Plan: consultation version
• Public Health England, NCMP and Child Obesity Profile
• Public Health England, 2014, Healthy people, healthy places briefing Obesity and the environment: regulating the growth of fast food outlets 
• TCPA and Public Health England, 2014, Planning healthy weight environments

Image:

"20170211-stirchley-lidl-protest-bournville-labour-4" by Francis Clarke Photography is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0