What are the challenges of integrating health with planning?

There is increasing awareness of the benefits of integrating health with planning. The key aim of planning is to ensure that development is permitted which benefits communities and the economy, balancing any social, economic, and environmental considerations. Health is one of many factors considered in the planning process.

Balancing these considerations is often not straightforward when developing planning policies and making decisions on the food environment. For example, a hot food takeaway or fast-food outlet may have a negative impact on health and increase noise, odour, litter and pollution, but may also contribute to creating jobs and to the local economy, especially in areas where there is already limited retail available.

There are also more practical challenges in integrating health with planning. For instance, health and planning teams usually work in silo, which can be amplified if the teams sit within different physical locations or in different authorities (for example, in two-tier local authorities). The use of different terminology between the two disciplines can also cause confusion.

As we learnt throughout the course, one of the greatest assets in integrating health and planning is the understanding and application of evidence at both national and local level.