Agenda item

The Strategic Policy Manager (Planning) and the Creating Active & Healthy Places Lead (Public Health South Tees) will deliver a presentation on “Healthy Placemaking through Planning”.

The Strategic Policy Manager (Planning) and the Creating Active & Healthy Places Lead (Public Health South Tees) delivered a presentation on Healthy Placemaking through Planning.

The presentation provided an overview of the planning system, including national legislation, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and associated practice and design guidance. Members also received information on the Local Plan and the development control process, and how these shaped the built environment. The officers highlighted several relevant paragraphs from the NPPF (including paragraphs 96c, 97, 103 and 109 e & f), which emphasised the role of planning in promoting healthy, safe and accessible communities.

A definition of a ‘healthy place’ was shared, along with an explanation of how this aligned with the Council Plan priority of creating a healthy place; improving life chances for residents through tackling health inequalities, promoting inclusivity and reducing poverty. The Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment were also referenced, with particular focus on the two missions most relevant to spatial planning; ‘creating places and systems that promote wellbeing’ and ‘supporting people and communities to build better health.’

Members were informed that Middlesbrough’s Local Plan (published March 2025) integrated health considerations throughout. The Creating Active and Healthy Places Lead highlighted that only around 30% of planning authorities across the country routinely used a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) as part of the planning process, and it was therefore positive that Middlesbrough was among those adopting this approach. The HIA was explained as a tool used to identify the potential health and wellbeing impacts of new plans or major developments, helping to ensure that design, location and access considerations supported healthier living for local communities. Examples were provided, such as encouraging new housing developments to include usable open spaces, promote food growing and be situated within accessible distance of supermarkets (800m) to support healthier food choices.

The Panel heard that the HIA process also informed decisions on applications relating to hot food takeaways. A heat map was presented which showed existing takeaway locations, 400m zones around schools and local Year 6 obesity prevalence by ward, highlighting the contrast between those in the North and South of the town. It was explained that the Healthy Weight Declaration and local policy supported the restriction of new takeaways.

Finally, Members were given an overview of how specialist roles including hybrid public health-planning posts, added value by embedding health considerations throughout the planning process and supporting healthy placemaking principles in decision-making.

A Member queried how fast-food takeaways were managed within the planning system, noting the wide range of food outlets and classifications. Members were informed that the definition of a fast-food outlet originates from Public Health guidance, while national bodies, including the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) were continuing to develop a clearer, standard definition. The Strategic Policy Manager advised that a robust policy had been developed with thresholds in place so that new takeaway applications in specific areas would generally be recommended for refusal, while existing outlets would remain. It was explained that even an interim policy had deterred some applicants.

A Member asked how progress was measured. Officers explained that the impact of healthy placemaking was assessed through benchmarking against national good practice, monitoring how well health was embedded in the Local Plan and by tracking relevant indicators, including decisions on hot food takeaways.

Another Member queried the key challenges faced by officers. In response, officers highlighted the importance of maintaining political and organisational commitment to healthy placemaking, as well as building skills and awareness across the Council to ensure policies were consistently applied and ambitions delivered.

Members noted the information provided and the Chair thanked the officers for their attendance.

NOTED.