Planning – Application Comments

Consultation Date: Thu 10 Mar 2022

Consultation Date: Thu 10 Mar 2022

Comment Date: Thu 31 Mar 2022

LLFA consultation response 22.00259.FUL.pdf

Comment Date: Wed 30 Mar 2022

ED has no view on this proposal.

Comment Date: Thu 24 Mar 2022

Plymouth City Council
Strategic Planning & Infrastructure

Transport Planning Team
Telephone: 01752 307707
Date: 23rd March 2022
Abbey Edwards
Development Management
Ballard House
West Hoe Road
Plymouth
PL1 3BJ

Dear Abbey

Highway Authority Consultation Reply

APPLICATION NO: 22/00259/FUL

SITE: Laundry Lounge, 158 Union Street, Plymouth, PL1 3HL

DEVELOPMENT: Change of use from laundrette (Sui Generis) to mixed use consisting of laundrette (Sui Generis) and hot food take-away (Sui Generis) (retrospective)


Observations:

I refer to your consultation dated 14th March 2022 regarding the above planning application for the change of use of a Laundrette to a mixed use, consisting of a Laundrette and Hot food Takeaway (HFT).

I note that the planning application is retrospective and it would appear that the Laundrette incorporated a café facility, prior to COVID lockdown. During which time takeaways were also offered as planning restrictions were temporarily lifted. As this is no longer the case the continued operation of HFT therefore now requires an application to formalise the arrangement.

It would appear that the facility offers takeaway as well as delivery of food. Although the submitted information suggests that the food on offer is healthy, and not normally the type associated with a HFT the requested use class would effectively make this a standard hot food takeaway without personal limitation to the operator. The building would become an established HFT and permission thereby granted to accommodate a change of operator.

The Laundrette and ancillary café does not give rise to any objections. However, the HFT element does as this could attract customers who drive and collect food. Commonly, throughout the City this leads to indiscriminate parking, which can give rise to issues of highway safety and interference with free flow of traffic.

Double yellow lines are installed along Union Street in front of the building but these do not always deter drivers who often park on street whilst collecting food orders, regardless of any restrictions at existing HFT's in the City. Furthermore, the delivery drivers are potentially likely to do the same, whilst collecting an order for delivery.

An informal pedestrian crossing is located very near to the property and union street is a well used bus route. Therefore, any potential obstruction on the route could cause delays to bus services.

As there is no scope to provide customer parking the application cannot be supported for the Hot Food Takeaway element of the proposal. Minimal take-out of food that has been prepared and mainly for consumption on the property is acceptable.

The application should therefore be refused.
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Recommendation:

The Highway Authority recommend that permission is refused for the following reason.

ZREF3 - Inadequate Provision of Parking:
No adequate provision is proposed to be made for the parking of cars of persons residing at or visiting the development. Vehicles used by such persons would therefore have to stand on the public highway giving rise to conditions likely to cause:-
(a) Damage to amenity;
(b) Prejudice to public safety and convenience;
(c) Interference with the free flow of traffic on the highway
which is contrary to Policy DEV29 of the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan adopted March 2019.




Craig Oakes
Transport Planning Consultant

Consultant authorised to sign on behalf of the Service
Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure

Comment Date: Thu 17 Mar 2022

Please see correction of the neighbourhood name in this comment: Thank you for contacting Plymouth¿s Public Health Team regarding this application.

Sui Generis formally A5¿s (Hot Food Takeaways) are known to offer food that is traditionally high in fats, salt, sugar and carbohydrates and as such these types of foods do not promote healthy eating. As such they are not conducive to creating a healthy food environment.

Policy DEV6 in the Joint Local Plan focusses on hot food takeaways in Plymouth. It states, ¿The LPAs within the Plymouth Policy Area will resist proposals to provide new hot food takeaways within a 400 metre radius of providers of secondary education to protect the school's food environment.¿

This supports the Council¿s intention to (1) protect the food environment around schools and (2) encourage healthy lifestyles through health eating amongst the Plymouth population.

25.7% of Reception and 43% Year Six pupils living in the Stonehouse neighbourhood were classified as overweight or obese according to results from the 2019/20 National Child Measurement Programme which is higher than the city as a whole.

This application is within a 400m radius of a secondary education provider and therefore fails this policy (DEV6). Although there is a lack of data in relation to secondary school age pupils specifically, obesity is an issue in Reception and Year Six pupils and this policy (DEV6) seeks to prevent the situation worsening. We therefore recommend refusal under this policy.

Comment Date: Fri 25 Mar 2022

Thank you for contacting Plymouth's Public Health Team regarding this application.

Sui Generis formally A5's (Hot Food Takeaways) are known to offer food that is traditionally high in fats, salt, sugar and carbohydrates and as such these types of foods do not promote healthy eating. As such they are not conducive to creating a healthy food environment.

Policy DEV6 in the Joint Local Plan focusses on hot food takeaways in Plymouth. It states, 'The LPAs within the Plymouth Policy Area will resist proposals to provide new hot food takeaways within a 400 metre radius of providers of secondary education to protect the school's food environment.'

This supports the Council's intention to (1) protect the food environment around schools and (2) encourage healthy lifestyles through health eating amongst the Plymouth population.

25.7% of Reception and 43% Year Six pupils living in the Whitleigh neighbourhood were classified as overweight or obese according to results from the 2019/20 National Child Measurement Programme which is higher than the city as a whole.

This application is within a 400m radius of a secondary education provider and therefore fails this policy (DEV6). Although there is a lack of data in relation to secondary school age pupils specifically, obesity is an issue in Reception and Year Six pupils and this policy (DEV6) seeks to prevent the situation worsening. We therefore recommend refusal under this policy.

https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/publichealth/factsandfiguresjointstrategicneedsassessment/plymouthprofiles/areaprofiles/neighbourhoodareaprofiles

Comment Date: Mon 14 Mar 2022

The NI Team hold no objection to this application.