A local authority chief executive has recommended the deletion of a clause relating to the location of fast-food outlets near schools and parks from its draft development plan. The chief executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Philomena Poole, made the recommendation in a report on the draft plan which will go before councillors in coming weeks.
The council justified the recommendation on the basis that other clauses in the plan would allow the local authority “to judiciously examine any forthcoming applications, post the adoption of the county development plan next year, for fast-food outlets”.
The fast-food giant KFC had stated that a proposal in the council’s draft development plan urging “careful consideration of the location of fast-food outlets in the vicinity of schools and parks” could have serious implications for future investment in the area.
Local TD Richard Boyd-Barrett described the recommendation to remove the clause as “outrageous”. “The county manager has bowed to this pressure from one multinational. It does not surprise me one bit that a multinational fast-food outfit would refuse to acknowledge any problem with fast foods as far as kids are concerned.”
In its submission on the draft plan, KFC warned that section 8.2.6.5 of the plan covering fast-food outlets and takeaways could have “serious consequences on investment decisions and indeed revenue-creation for the planning authority”.
The absence of a definition for what constitutes “in the vicinity of schools and parks” could lead to a wide range of interpretations and “significant difficulties in practice”.
KFC warned that the end result could lead in effect to the banning of hot food takeaways for almost the whole county. It said each KFC cost in the order of €1.5 million to build and maintain. “Clearly there is a very real and substantive contribution to the local economy both in terms of construction jobs and in operational employment and further training opportunities.”
A Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council spokesman said the county development plan was a reserved function for councillors. They would have an opportunity to submit motions on this and any other issue in the draft plan up until September 24th.
