Policy RET 5: Restaurants, cafés, pubs and hot food takeaways

  1. The building or change of use of establishments to restaurants and cafés, drinking establishments and hot food takeaways will be permitted provided they comply with other policies in the development plan and where there will be no adverse effect, either individually or cumulatively, on the character of the area, amenities of residential occupiers, community safety and/or highway safety.
  2. Where permission is granted for such uses or for an extension of such use, conditions appropriate to the permitted use may be imposed relating to community safety, hours of opening, noise, odour and fumes, the disposal of refuse, and restricting the sale of hot food to be consumed off the premises.
  3. Where hot food takeaways are located within the ‘hot food take away restriction zone’ in Crewe as shown on the adopted policies map, planning permission will be granted subject to a condition that the premises are not open to the public before 17:00 on weekdays and there is no over the counter sales before that time.
  4. Where space allows and it is appropriate to the use, character of the area, and will not conflict with pedestrian movement or public safety, external dining and seating shall be encouraged. Measures to screen outdoor dining and seating areas and to provide shelter should be of a high quality and not detrimental to the character and appearance of the area.

Supporting information

9.19  This policy supports LPS Policy SC 3 'Health and well-being', which recognises the importance of safe and healthy lifestyles.

9.20  In the UK obesity is the greatest health issue for this generation. Hot food takeaways tend to sell food that is high in calories, fat, salt and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables. There is evidence that regular consumption of energy dense food from hot food takeaways is associated with weight gain and is appealing to children. It is recognised that the causes of obesity are complex and the result of a number of factors, but excess weight is known to be linked to wider determinants of health, including deprivation. A wide range of health experts recommend restricting the use of hot food takeaways, particularly around schools in order to create a healthier food environment. The Cheshire East Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Excess Weight Report (June 2019) identified that initiatives aimed at reducing adult excess weight should be targeted at Crewe, and particularly within the six wards which perform worst across a range of indicators when compared with all wards nationally. These six wards comprise Crewe South, Crewe West, Crewe Central, Crewe North, Crewe East and St Barnabas. The report found that these wards were particularly affected by excess weight amongst children and highlighted a need to consider the regulation of hot food takeaways in such areas. This policy therefore seeks to limit the availability of additional hot foot takeaway facilities near to secondary schools and sixth form colleges in the ‘Crewe 6’ group of wards.

9.21  The most popular time for purchasing food from takeaways is after school. The proximity to primary schools is not addressed in this policy as secondary schools and sixth form college pupils are considered to have greater mobility and independence compared to primary school pupils. Although the 400 metre distance (as the crow flies) will be taken from the school's entrance, site specific factors such as physical barriers to pedestrian movement and the number and location of other takeaways along the school route will be taken into consideration. The ‘hot food take away restriction zone’ shown on the policies map identifies the area within 400m of a main entrance to a secondary school or sixth form college located within the ‘Crewe 6’ group of wards. The zone has been drawn to exclude any part of a defined centre.

9.22  Whilst restaurants, cafés, pubs, and takeaways add to the diversity of a town centre and can make a positive contribution to the vitality of the evening economy, there are also a number of undesirable impacts that can occur as a result of an over-concentration of such uses, including smell, noise, fumes, and antisocial behaviour.

9.23  Proposals for restaurants, cafés, pubs, and takeaways will need to show that they comply with Policy ENV 12 'Air quality'. Proposals must provide appropriate extraction systems to effectively disperse of odours. They must demonstrate that they have no adverse impacts on visual amenity, including location and external finish, and noise to nearby properties.

9.24  A waste management strategy should accompany planning applications, which should detail how proposals will acceptably manage their own waste on site, set their approach to recycling and address the impacts of customers' waste.

9.25  The council, when considering applications for such uses, will also take into account the location of the development, the nature of the proposal and the character of the surrounding area. The location of drinking establishments and hot food takeaways in residential areas will be very carefully assessed.

9.26  The impact of proposals on road safety will also be an important consideration when determining planning applications. Proposals will need to demonstrate that they will not adversely affect highway safety or the free flow of traffic on adjacent highways.

Related documents

Policy information

 

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