Public health officers have raised concerns about the number of unhealthy takeaways in Bradford – particularly in the poorest areas of the district.
They said the proliferation of fast-food businesses in some areas of Bradford was linked to higher rates of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A letter to Bradford Council planners in response to an application for an outlet in Whetley Hill said there was already an “over-concentration of fast-food takeaways” in the area. The application was rejected.
“If Bradford were the same as the England average there would be 649 outlets in the district, 110 less,” they said.
They argued that allowing new takeaways in the most deprived areas would “undermine public health outcomes”.
Health research organisation Born in Bradford previously said the city was “flooded” with businesses offering unhealthy food, meaning children were eating “too much sugar and fat and not enough fibre, vitamin D, or fruits and vegetables”.
One of the reasons for the Whetley Hill refusal was that the business would be just 40m from Atlas Primary School, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
In 2014, Bradford Council banned any new hot food takeaway from opening within 400m of a school, park, leisure centre or other facility used by children.
The policy does not apply to “local centres” – which include Bradford city centre and town and village centres.
