Mayor urged to support healthier high streets

The London Assembly Health Committee has urged the Mayor to strengthen the draft London Plan to support healthier high streets across the capital.

Health-related premises in London increased by 30 per cent between 2017 and 2024, while hot food takeaway floorspace grew faster (38 per cent) over the same period.¹

In a letter to the Mayor, the Committee says the planning system should do more to encourage health-promoting uses on high streets, including health centres, GP surgeries, dentists, gyms and leisure facilities, while helping boroughs manage concentrations of uses that can negatively affect health and wellbeing.

The Committee says the new London Plan should place greater emphasis on supporting the growth of these uses, while retaining effective planning tools that help councils manage unhealthy concentrations of premises on local high streets.

Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee, Krupesh Hirani AM, said:

"Healthy high streets can play a vital role in improving health, supporting local economies and bringing communities together.

"We welcome the draft London Plan's focus on vibrant and inclusive town centres, but we believe that for example the current restrictions on hot food takeaways near schools should be retained. The evidence shows these policies can make a positive difference to London's communities.

"The Committee is calling for greater support for health-promoting businesses and updated evidence on how active travel policies affect high streets across the capital."

The recommendations form part of the London Assembly statutory scrutiny and consultation response to the Mayor’s draft London Plan, which will guide how London grows and develops over the next 25 years.