Why is aligning strategies beneficial to planning?

Joining up public health strategies with planning can support decisions on planning applications, and the defence against appeals and objections during the local plan examination by the Planning Inspectorate. This aligns with the whole systems approach to tackling obesity approach introduced in Week 1. Examples of complementary non-planning approaches and strategies include where:

• the local authority has a corporate approach to promoting healthy places and healthier eating
• schools in the area have created a healthy eating policy, or
• there are strategies for town centre and local high street regeneration.

To ensure that future planning decisions are based on wider issues, links should be made to policies and priorities included in other statutory plans developed by the local authority, in particular, the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Planning inspectors can use these links as material considerations when determining planning applications.

Questions to consider include:

• Is there an agreed healthy weight, obesity, or physical activity strategy adopted by the local authority?
• Are relevant priorities set out by the local healthcare partners?
• Do these policies and priorities make reference to restricting hot food takeaways or promoting a healthier environment?
• Have local communities and schools been engaged and support the proposals?
• Have schools adopted healthy eating policies?