A PROPOSED takeaway in Undercliffe is the latest to fall foul of Council policies preventing such businesses from opening near schools.

Bradford Council has refused plans to convert 203 Otley Road from an ice cream parlour to a mix of

bakery, cafe and hot food takeaway.

Planning officers cited a Council policy that bans new takeaways from opening within 400 metres of a school, park or other facility children would be likely to use.

The unit is located a short distance from Peel Park, Westminster Primary School, Feversham College and the Communityworks Children’s Centre.

The application was submitted by Naeem Jarral, and refused by planning officers shortly before Christmas.

Since the policy was introduced, around 50 applications for hot food takeaways have been refused by Bradford Council for being too close to schools or children's facilities.

Introduced in November 2014, the Hot Food Takeaway Supplementary Planning Document was intended to reduce childhood obesity in the district and to support a "healthy eating agenda."

It prevents new takeaways from opening within 400 metres of schools, parks, leisure centres, youth groups, play areas and other youth related facilities, and soon led to applications being refused on a regular basis.

However, the policy only applies when the business would be outside a "local centre" (town centre, city centre etc.)

It also only applies to new takeaways, and not to existing businesses.

In a recent statement on the policy to the Telegraph & Argus, a Council spokesman said: "Since we brought in the planning restrictions of no takeaways within 400 metres of a school in November 2014, the council has refused almost 50 applications for takeaways that would have otherwise opened.

“We are mindful of balancing the need for businesses to thrive with the drive to promote healthy eating, which is why we have worked over the last three years with takeaway outlets to reduce the salt, fat and calorie content in their meals."

On this Otley Road application, planning officers said: "The site is not located within a local centre and therefore a hot food takeaway is unacceptable in principle as it is located within 400 metres of schools, youth facilities and parks and therefore the proposal does not comply with the Council's Hot Food Takeaways planning document."

They also said the application did not include enough detail on the proposed business' opening hours or methods of odour removal.