‘Fast food-free zone’ to stop takeaways targeting school pupils

Groundbreaking proposals to ban fat-filled takeaways from opening their doors around the borough’s schools are among a raft of new planning ideas set out by Haringey Council.

New hot food takeaways would be barred from opening within 400m of primary and secondary schools under the proposals in the council’s Local Plan Making documents.

The plans, which also seek to limit the amount of the shops outside of the exclusion zone, aim to encourage more pupils to eat the healthy food on offer inside their schools rather than walking to nearby takeaways.

Among the other ideas set out in the strategies, which could help shape new developments and planning decisions, are:

• A family housing protection zone in the east and parts of the west of the borough to stop larger homes being converted into flats and houses of multiple occupation
• Tackling clusters of betting shops by stopping new stores from opening if five per cent of shops in the area are already bookmakers
• Protecting Haringey’s historic pubs by only allowing redevelopments when all other options to save the business have been exhausted
• Introducing strict rules on basement developments to stop the proliferation of unsociable or ugly underground extensions

The documents also support the council’s long-term regeneration plans, with 20,000 new homes and 2million sq ft of employment space among the aims.

Councillor Ali Demirci, Cabinet Member for Planning, said:

“Putting the right planning rules in place doesn’t just stop unsightly new developments – it gives us a chance to tackle some of the most important issues facing our communities.

“Our fast food-free zone will put pupils’ health first, stopping the scourge of takeaways setting up shop on the doorsteps of our schools.

“We know how concerned local people are at the huge numbers of betting shops opening on our high streets, which is why these proposals limit where new stores can be.

“Protecting the borough’s character is at the heart of our ambitions as we press ahead with plans to tackle Haringey’s housing crunch and bring long-term regeneration to achieve residents’ priorities.”

A new Haringey Design Charter would also be set up to encourage high-quality architecture, with a panel of experts helping shape designs throughout the planning process.

The four policy documents will be consulted on next month, before final plans are considered by the council’s Cabinet later this year.