Mr. Colin Ryan:

I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet members to assist the joint committee in its deliberations on the topic of tackling childhood obesity. I understand the committee, as part of its deliberations, wishes to discuss, in particular, two planning issues relevant to the topic, namely, the appropriate planning considerations related to the location of proposed fast-food outlets in the vicinity of school premises and the availability of public spaces for children's activities.

By way of introduction, it is important to state the overall thrust of national planning policy is to promote the development of good places in which to live, work and play. A key part of the place-making agenda is ensuring, through the planning processes, we take all necessary steps to encourage, facilitate and integrate physical activity for citizens of all ages and physical abilities and levels of mobility in the design of existing and future communities. In practical terms, one of the best ways to achievie this is by prioritising forms of development that benefit from good accessibility in terms of walking and cycling facilities and striving continually for the improvement of such facilities in both existing and newly developing areas. This is in the overall context of an increase in the national population of approximately 1 million by 2040, with the number of people aged 15 years or under predicted to continue to increase until the early 2020s and decline only slowly thereafter.

While national and strategic planning policy is set out in the national planning framework, regional economic and development strategies and local authority development plans, the key operational planning document that deals with the issues under consideration by the committee is the statutory guidelines for planning authorities for local area plans issued by the Minister in 2013. Section 5 of the guidelines offers advice on the structure and content of local area plans and sets out a range of policies that can be put in place to promote and facilitate active and healthy living patterns in local communities. They include policies on promoting walking and cycling as modes of transport; access to public open spaces and recreational and sports facilities; the proximity of new developments to sustainable travel modes; the provision of play areas; and the careful consideration of the appropriateness of the location of fast-food outlets in the vicinity of schools and parks.

A practical effect of the guidelines with regard to fast-food outlets is that consideration can be given to the appropriateness of their location in the vicinity of schools and parks, for example, in newly developing areas, while at the same time taking into account wider land-use considerations such as the clustering of uses in close proximity to each other to allow for access by foot or bicycle. With regard to the many schools located in or near existing developed town centres, however, the practical implications of restricting fast-food outlets in these circumstances need to be carefully considered in view of the mix of existing uses typically found in urban areas. Moreover, in focusing on limiting the exposure of schoolgoing children to the availability of fast food, there could be unintended consequences regarding the location of future schools in that they may be located in less central locations, with knock-on implications for promoting non-car accessibility.

In addition, planning policy on the location of fast-food outlets needs to be considered within the wider policy context of practical steps that can be taken to promote more widely and facilitate active and healthy living patterns by enhancing the scope for activities such as walking, cycling and sports and active leisure pursuits and their associated facilities. For example, ensuring effective pedestrian and cycle networks can develop between residential areas and between those areas and schools and locations where shops and local services are provided should be a priority. In reality, the development or even the retention of such links which are so essential in maximising physical activity can be highly contentious locally, to which many committee members may attest.

On the availability of public spaces for children's activities, our general planning policy approach has been and will continue to be one that actively promotes their provision. Over a long period planning policy has sought to support the delivery of a range of public spaces commensurate with the scale of development, from informal open spaces to regional parks that allow for a range of activities. Furthermore, in the light of an increase in the population, this means that the continued provision and enhancement of facilities and amenities for children and young people such as playgrounds, parks and sports grounds remains necessary. They will need to be maintained at similar levels for the foreseeable future. It also means that, with a significant proportion of future population growth to occur within or close to the current built-up footprint of settlements, it will be possible to maximise the use of existing facilities near where children and young people live through the provision of enhanced facilities.

A key planning issue is the integration of healthy living into the built environment. This allows for the informal incorporation of fitness into everyday life. To assist in achieving this objective, the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets, DMURS, has been produced. It provides practical guidance to assist in the design and development of active and safe neighbourhoods for walking and cycling.

In this regard, it is important to emphasise the need to integrate good, appropriate linkage for walking and cycling to public spaces, particularly those at the level that serve a town or large urban settlement, where more formal physical activities such as field sports are undertaken. This allows for children or young adults, as appropriate, to access these facilities without necessarily relying on the car.

From a planning perspective, a key consideration in promoting active and healthy lifestyles and physical activity and combating one of the causes of obesity is improving accessibility within our urban settlements for non-car-based modes of transport. At the same time, however, we have to recognise there are a range of uses which are appropriate for urban settlements in order for them to serve all members of the community. I am happy to take questions.