Campaigner Aidy Riggott, who's standing for election in this May's local election, spoke at tonights Chorley Council development control committee with a view to stop the application.
In his speech he said "Councils of all colours up and down the country are banning the opening of takeaways and fast food restaurants within 400m of schools, yet Chorley Council is sitting on its hands with no policy in place to protect impressionable children."
"My children and those of my friends and neighbours, will be able to look out of their classroom windows across the school playing fields and see this proposed takeaway and fast food restaurant facing them on the other side of the road."
"I quote the National Obesity Forum – 'Pester power isn’t only an issue at supermarket checkouts, walking past outlets selling high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods every day, with their succulent odours, can really set back parents’ efforts to have healthy policies around feeding.' I, like every other parent know this to be true."
On the impact for local residents Aidy Riggott, who's also the county councillor for the area, remarked "I move onto the direct impact on those residents living only 24 metres away from where the takeaway will be located. The concerns of residents when listed out, take up a full 2 pages of your report. This is not an insignificant level of concern."
"Imagine buying your dream family home and then finding out that the local Council is recommending a change of use application that leaves a takeaway and fast food restaurant on your doorstep instead of the expected employment facilities. How would you feel?"
“I have been contacted by residents who have put their house up for sale because of this application”
Aidy Riggott concluded “Why did Chorley Council not have a policy in place to protect schools from having a takeaway built over the road from them? Perhaps they should spend less time digging up and relaying car parks and focus on the real risks and challenges facing our communities!”
Conservative Ward councillor Mark Perks also slammed the proposal. In his submission he wrote “Being a ward Councillor for the village since 2002 I have seen the real issues concerning mixed use planning applications brought to council and approved by council involving residential areas being mixed with employment and the highway implications."
"This application is not what I would class as the employment use need for this location and bring a fast food drive through outlet in this part of the village opposite a primary school for the junior age range of children as a real threat on a number of levels. One will be the extra traffic generated and bring an increase to capacity and the likelihood of increased speeding and for long periods of time in a residential area."
"The fast food outlet does nothing to promote a healthy eating lifestyle and it will pose issues especially to young people around providing cheaper and more unhealthy food options."
"An increase in traffic will bring further health and safety issues to the village in terms of capacity and speed. The issue of smell pollution that will cause a nuisance to nearby properties is very real. In my opinion this type of application in is part of the village should not be given permission and if approval is given will create further issues for both the borough and county councils.”
Councillors voted in favour of the application.
