The Board considered the main findings from the Spatial Planning and Health JSNA (2023) Air Quality JSNA (2023) and discussed the planning policy actions that should be taken to improve health and wellbeing in the Borough prior to the consultation Local Plan going live in the summer. The principal points of the debate are as follows:

The Board:

v  Was reminded that in January the Health and Wellbeing Board, members had been informed that the Borough’s Local Plan is in the process of being updated, with plans for it to be adopted by autumn 2025.

v  Noted that the new Local Plan will set out a vision, strategic priorities, and a planning policy framework to guide and manage development in the borough for the next 10 to 15 years, in line with the planning policy requirements set out by national and regional government.

v  Agreed that the physical environment has a significant impact on health and wellbeing. With the greatest opportunity to influence how the built environment impacts on health being through the Local Plan. Therefore, to inform the new Local Plan, Tower Hamlets Public Health has reviewed the evidence to understand how planning policy can positively impact on residents’ health. This review will form the basis of the public health evidence for the emerging Local Plan health policies.

v  Agreed that the benefit of a local plan that you can design a place in a way that can create homes for people and in a way that also supports health and well-being.

v  Agreed that (i) every resident should be able to access safe, social spaces near their home to live healthy lives; and (ii) residents have the opportunities, connections, and local support to live healthy lives (e.g., any resident needing help knows where to get it and is supported to find the right help).

v  Noted that in conjunction with the Council, Healthwatch’s Healthy Neighbourhoods project collected feedback from residents in Tower Hamlets to find out what services are important to them, and how well these services in different areas of the borough currently support local people. The feedback will then be used to formulate a plan to support the development of local neighbourhoods to improve people’s health and well-being.

v  Noted that the feedback was collected through an online survey between October and December 2022. The survey was shared with local people through various community and voluntary organisations, Barts NHS Health Trust, and Tower Hamlets Council. In addition, the survey link was posted on Healthwatch Tower Hamlets’ social media channels and promoted at local events. In addition, the Healthwatch team had also conducted some street surveying in busy areas of the borough, such as the Whitechapel Market, and two focus groups that were hosted by Beyond Sight Loss – a community group of people with visual impairments – and the Tower Hamlets LGBT+ Forum.

v  Agreed that having public open spaces to facilitate social interaction is really important for local residents, particularly for children as through social and emotional wellbeing, children need to have the opportunity for all types of play, including play with other children. This peer play is crucially important for children of all ages. Peer relationships are unique because they are voluntary, equal, and require negotiation and compromise. Access to green space benefits mental health, lowering the need to treat anxiety and other mental health issues. Green spaces promote physical activity by offering a pleasant environment in which to exercise; linear woodland pathways encourage walking and cycling, while huge sports and community parks promote more formal physical activity.

v  Agreed that it is considered that for residents to take ownership of open spaces and to fully use these spaces is a potential deterrent of crime and disorder which needs to be reflected in planning policy (e.g., create green space that encourages play and physical activity).

v  Agreed that: (i) Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) are an important tool that helps community leaders, legislators, and changemakers find out what health and safety impacts of any proposed developments may have on area residents and community members; (ii) HIAs can identify the unintended consequences of any plan, project, policy, or other decision before it is put into place and make recommendations to prevent or lessen negative effects; (iii) HIAs as referenced earlier can be useful to promote health and mitigate adverse impacts of decisions made outside of the health sector (e.g.  the evidence around the importance of the natural environment for health and wellbeing, and the importance of creating green spaces, protecting existing ones, and then also areas like community allotments).

v  Agreed on the need on reducing congestion, carbon emission, and health issues across the Borough but it was also important to understand the wider implications for road safety in an urban environment particularly on the displacement of traffic to adjacent streets and the concern that the displaced traffic could make the surrounding streets more dangerous (e.g. traffic speed; traffic volume; and illegal or hazardous parking and driving behaviour).

v  Agreed that many residents and businesses are heavily dependent on their cars to get to work, transport stock, and deliver to customers and it is therefore important to consider how that impacts on a whole range of people (e.g., reflect the daily difficulties and challenges residents and businesses face in travelling around the Borough).

v  Agreed that residents and businesses should not be coerced but educated to make their own decisions and how they choose to live their lives (i.e., Not to encroach on their freedom of choice by the issuing of fixed penalties notices).

v  Agreed on the importance of (a) reaching a consensus on all aspects of the local plan before it goes live; and (b) all partner agencies actively participating in and promoting the consultation on the Local Plan when this goes live in the summer.

v  Noted that the draft new Local Plan has been informed by early engagement that was held from January 2023 to March 2023. The Council’s 6-week early engagement stage for the new Local Plan included a range of digital, interactive, and accessible events to ensure maximum outreach across the community. Events were held both online and in-person and included promotion through social media, emails, website, newsletters, press notices and posters/leaflets. Whilst  the overall arching plan will have to be finalised to go through Cabinet before the end of summer to begin the formal regulation 18 consultation.

v  Noted that the relevant equality impact assessments will be carried as required as part of the new Local Plan preparation process. Such assessments being requirements set out in the Town and Country Planning Regulations.

v  Agreed that it was important to have agreement on the Local Plan and therefore the Board should receive a further draft for consideration to ensure that there is a consensus of opinion before the plan goes live in the summer.