Birmingham City Council has unveiled planning guidelines to limit the number of takeaway shops allowed in any one location.
For the first time, The Shopping and Local Centres Supplementary Planning Document seeks to set maximum levels for non-retail units and takeaways within 73 local shopping areas, beyond which planning approval for new premises would not be granted.
The limits would apply in areas such as Sutton Coldfield town centre, Erdington and Soho Road, and smaller neighbourhood centres such as Walmley, Cotteridge and Robin Hood Hall Green.
In larger areas, at least 55% of buildings in the shopping area would be required to retain a retail use, down to 50% in small areas, while no more than 10% of units in any area should be takeaways.
If agreed by the council, following a public consultation period, the rules and limits would apply to all new planning applications in the 73 specified areas. However, they would not be retrospectively applied to existing businesses.
Cllr Peter Douglas Osborne, chair of Birmingham council’s planning committee, said: “The document will finally give us in Birmingham the powers to take a more pragmatic approach when it comes to considering applications for yet more takeaway establishments in areas already saturated with fast food outlets.”
Public consultation on the SPD runs until 19 December, after which a final report will be prepared and presented to the council ahead of formal adoption.
lisa.pilkington@estatesgazette.com
