By Leah Conway
Kirklees Council wants to hear feedback from residents and businesses concerning new planning guidance around hot food takeaways.
The consultation is about a new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which offers updated planning and application guidance for applicants wanting to open new business premises in Kirklees.
The feedback opened on 9 November and will run until 21 December. All Kirklees residents and businesses are welcome to share their views and feedback on the new SPD.
What do the changes mean?
The changes would impact where planning permission would be granted for businesses selling hot food takeaways.
When implemented, the new rules would only apply to brand new hot food takeaways applying for permission rather than established existing ones.
However, it will still impact existing businesses if they want to change any planning conditions on their existing permissions, such as extending opening times.
It would also include guidance on selling hot takeaway food near schools
Why are changes being made?
The council hope for the changes to help improve the health and wellbeing of Kirklees residents and aim in tackling rising national obesity rates.
Kirklees Council aims to better manage the locations and availability of ‘fast food’ and takeaways would help this.
Furthermore, it is hoped that new guidelines and management will help offer a variety of options for residents, visitors and businesses and thus positively impact Kirklees town centres footfall.
Lastly, the new plans im to ensure that issues such as noise, odours, and waste disposal are managed to avoid negative impact for the people living and working in the areas surrounding such takeaways.
“Top Priority”
Councillor Musarrat Khan, Cabinet Member for Health & Social Care, says: “So much work has been done over the last two decades to make sure children eat healthily while they’re in school. By comparison, the environment around schools and our children’s walk home is often overlooked.
“The health and wellbeing of our residents is, as always, the council’s top priority. By encouraging businesses to offer more healthy menus and normalising healthier eating, we can increase life expectancy and reduce the risk of serious illness. Where we can do more to encourage healthy living, we have that responsibility.”
Councillor Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, says: “We want to support local businesses to trade successfully and ethically in Kirklees and develop policies which revitalise our high streets as a whole.
“We believe we can help our local takeaway industry thrive without some of the negative impacts we’re currently seeing on our communities. This means providing the best possible guidance for any potential business applicants – being clear about our policies as a council but also clearly laying out the pathways to success.
“The distribution of businesses in Kirklees has huge power to affect an area’s overall offering and the wellbeing of those who live and work there. This is why we want the public – residents and businesses alike – to have their say on this proposed new planning guidance.”
How to share your views
You can read the complete SPD and share your views online. To share feedback, fill in the online form before Tuesday 21 December at 5 pm.