8.2 How do you consider that health issues should be addressed in the Local Plan. How can new development encourage healthy lifestyles

this is essential for the future ways of living

New development must be reasonably adjacent to community facilities thus encouraging walking/ cycling or usage of buses

Improving the town's cycle network - see my comments in that section - would help to get more people cycling, both for recreation purposes and for travelling to work/school/college, etc.
Such improvements would therefore obviously encourage a healthier lifestyle for the town's residents.

Need to develop health centres more local to community in some areas - particularly the E of the town. Would save journeys to the hospital

Joined up cycle paths would encourage more people to cycle if they felt safe

Better links to Garons and other exercise locations to support active lifestyles

A public pool back in the centre of town to allow residents and office workers to swim

Restrict fast food premises, build more green spaces and community based spaces so that people will have more safe spaces to access for leisure.

The Southend 2050 plan states that : ‘Healthy living planning can influence the environment and also promote healthier lifestyles. We need to embed health into all planning policies.’ Central government states in the Childhood Obesity Plan that it will assist planning inspectors in this regard. This is therefore the time to take the initiative and tackle obesity using the Planning system.

In Southend 8.2% of our 4-5 year olds are starting primary school obese and this rapidly increases to 17.9% by the time they are leaving in Year 6 (10-11years). There are 198 fast food takeaways in Southend-on-Sea which represents 109.6 fast food outlets per 100,000 population. This is significantly greater than the overall England average 96.5 per 100,000 population.
In Southend, the highest concentration of fast food outlets are in Milton (n=42) and Victoria ward (n=23). These wards also represent our most obese 4-5 year olds and 10-11 year olds in Southend, respectively
We need to take this into consideration if we intend to achieve our 2050 Southend ambitions, particularly to ‘protect the most vulnerable in our community’.

Do we want Southend to have the highest concentration of fast food restaurants in Essex and be known as Essex's fattest town?

The new Planning Practice Guidance states that local authorities are encouraged to use planning to restrict fast food outlets, particularly where there are high concentrations of outlets in a specified area, high levels of obesity and deprivation and where young people congregate. 40 authorities have introduced Supplementary Planning Documents to restrict growth of takeaways and fast food outlets (source: Public Health England) An example of this is Gateshead and Newcastle where all takeaway planning applications must include a Health Impact Assessment. Another example of good practice is in Luton where plans have been approved to limit fast food takeaways near schools. Milton Keynes is also restricting hot food takeaways near schools. The Mayor of London has announced that new takeaways will be restricted within 400m of schools. Section 8 of the National Planning Policy Framework talks about healthier living by enabling and supporting healthy lifestyles and access to healthier food. Southend must be progressive in the pursuit of a healthier vision for the town or risk failing in the delivery of the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals - Good Health and Well-being and Reduced Inequalities, and consequently the Local Plan. Two of the outcomes of the Local Plan are Safe and Well and Opportunity and Prosperity – a high number of junk food establishments and the associated image and sometimes anti-social behaviour that they may attract are the opposite of these goals. Is an obvious failure to achieve these outcomes due to poor Planning policy really what we want to see as the headline in the Echo?

Installing outdoor gyms is an excellent idea. I among many others use the outdoor gym in Bonchurch Park. It is popular and appreciated by those of us using it. The equipment has stood up well to attacks by yobs.

Improve cycle ways and landscaping to make walking the transport of choice

Large developments should have access to good cycle routes and open spaces which benefit nature and also walking routes.
Also lots of trees and suitable wildlife habitat to support good mental health

Ensure walking and cycling routes are in place between various destinations. Support retail and leisure developments promoting healthy food offers. Develop space for activities that are being carried out in the home in the town centre, to encourage communal activity and participation.

Encourage new and existing facilities to incorporate a proper canteen and a lunch break of at least 40 minutes. Since the early 1980s in many cases institutions and companies have cut back the lunch hour, as well as the facilities, some even closing the canteen. 'Lunch is for Wimps' became the prevailing attitude and now at best people eat a sandwich at their desk, or nothing at all. Well 'Lunch is for healthy, happy workers' more likely. We got to have a break from our work, time to eat a well-balance fresh cooked meal from the canteen. Time to chat with our colleagues, usually while having a walk outside. And time to go to the loo! We also had well-attended works football and netball teams. No coincidence that since this erosion of lunch time people have worked a long and stressful day, only to arrive home starving hungry with no time and energy to cook. So they resort to takeaways, binge on box sets & alcohol to block out their day, sleep badly, probably have an argument, then do it all again the next day. Obesity, bowel cancer and other physical and mental health issues have developed.

Providing public green spaces, streets with soft landscaping and informal recreational opportunities, including play facilities, could help with a healthy lifestyles

In some instances (not always in this Borough) primary school provision is made for new developments but little, if any ,provision for secondary education, often resulting in children & young people having to travel long distances. This can cause financial pressures on parents / carers in terms of public transport and can also contribute to increased use of car journeys doing the school run. Transport routes around those new developments are also key in helping education be accessible.
Quality of buildings – environmental measures in terms of rain water harvesting, low energy costs (consider fuel poverty), cooling of homes etc
Cycle paths. Well maintained and attractive paths / trails to encourage people to walk more and explore the local area & environment
Air Quality & reliance on combustion engine – what are the alternatives? Availability of electric vehicle charging points around the borough
Is there anywhere suitable for a decent park & ride scheme to reduce congestion and traffic fumes in the borough?
Signage to parks / open spaces / more outdoor fitness equipment along the seafront, on the beach - make the use of that equipment part of our culture (seems to work in various European destinations)
Consideration could be given to offsite provision if it meant amalgamating small provision into a larger space to create greater capacity and more benefit to communities. Thought would need to be given to access routes to off-site provision and also what the implications for the original development and its residents would be if those locations did not have any open space or play areas at all.
Yes – this should be a given and will encourage more people to be attracted to moving to / staying in the borough or doing business here.

In some instances (not always in this Borough) primary school provision is made for new developments but little, if any ,provision for secondary education, often resulting in children & young people having to travel long distances. This can cause financial pressures on parents / carers in terms of public transport and can also contribute to increased use of car journeys doing the school run. Transport routes around those new developments are also key in helping education be accessible.
Quality of buildings – environmental measures in terms of rain water harvesting, low energy costs (consider fuel poverty), cooling of homes etc
Cycle paths. Well maintained and attractive paths / trails to encourage people to walk more and explore the local area & environment
Air Quality & reliance on combustion engine – what are the alternatives? Availability of electric vehicle charging points around the borough
Is there anywhere suitable for a decent park & ride scheme to reduce congestion and traffic fumes in the borough?
Signage to parks / open spaces / more outdoor fitness equipment along the seafront, on the beach - make the use of that equipment part of our culture (seems to work in various European destinations)
Consideration could be given to offsite provision if it meant amalgamating small provision into a larger space to create greater capacity and more benefit to communities. Thought would need to be given to access routes to off-site provision and also what the implications for the original development and its residents would be if those locations did not have any open space or play areas at all.
Yes – this should be a given and will encourage more people to be attracted to moving to / staying in the borough or doing business here.

In some instances (not always in this Borough) primary school provision is made for new developments but little, if any ,provision for secondary education, often resulting in children & young people having to travel long distances. This can cause financial pressures on parents / carers in terms of public transport and can also contribute to increased use of car journeys doing the school run. Transport routes around those new developments are also key in helping education be accessible.
Quality of buildings – environmental measures in terms of rain water harvesting, low energy costs (consider fuel poverty), cooling of homes etc
Cycle paths. Well maintained and attractive paths / trails to encourage people to walk more and explore the local area & environment
Air Quality & reliance on combustion engine – what are the alternatives? Availability of electric vehicle charging points around the borough
Is there anywhere suitable for a decent park & ride scheme to reduce congestion and traffic fumes in the borough?
Signage to parks / open spaces / more outdoor fitness equipment along the seafront, on the beach - make the use of that equipment part of our culture (seems to work in various European destinations)
Consideration could be given to offsite provision if it meant amalgamating small provision into a larger space to create greater capacity and more benefit to communities. Thought would need to be given to access routes to off-site provision and also what the implications for the original development and its residents would be if those locations did not have any open space or play areas at all.
Yes – this should be a given and will encourage more people to be attracted to moving to / staying in the borough or doing business here.

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