The statistics show a massive over-concentration of fast food outlets in poorer areas compared to the most affluent ones. Advertisement Advertisement Across the 12 districts of the Lancashire County Council patch – which excludes Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen – 46.4 percent of all takeaways can be found in the 20 percent of places with the highest levels of deprivation.
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The data, which sets out the position as of 2022 – the most recent date for which the calculation has been made – showed that, at that time, there were 1,408 fast food joints across the county council area. That equated to one for every 890 people – a higher rate than the England average of one per 958 residents. Advertisement Advertisement The figures have been published as part of County Hall’s hot food takeaways and spatial planning strategy, which seeks to prevent new fast food outlets opening in wards which are amongst the 20 percent most deprived in England.
The county authority has issued refreshed guidance to the dozen district councils – which determine planning applications for retail sites – recommending they refuse permission for takeaways to open in such ar.