Enabling Healthy Lifestyles and Wellbeing

Southend faces a number of significant challenges in relation to the health and wellbeing of its residents. There are marked inequalities between different areas of the city. Life expectancy is around 10 years lower in the most disadvantaged areas compared with the least disadvantaged, and this is worse than the average for England*. The proportion of older and younger people has also grown relative to the general population**, meaning there will be greater demands on local services and the need to plan for inclusive environments that meet the needs of all. As the population grows in Southend so does the demand on health, social care and community services, together with sport and recreation facilities. 

* Public Health England (2020) Local Authority Health Profile 2019 Southend-on-Sea https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/health-profiles/2019/E06000033.html?area-name=Southend-on-Sea

** Southend Population change, Census 2021 www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/censuspopulationchange/E06000033/ 

The existing health care model of treating ill health has evolved towards a more holistic, preventative approach to supporting people with all aspects of their health and wellbeing throughout their lifetime, by GPs and other health and social care professionals, with a focus on reducing health inequalities. The links between spatial planning and health are well recognised by health and planning professionals*. A better quality natural and built environment will lead to improved health and wellbeing for our residents. Strategic Policy SP3: Infrastructure sets out the broad framework for securing infrastructure, including health and social care facilities and green infrastructure. 

* Spatial Planning for Health https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5b59b090e5274a3ff828c70c/spatial_planning_for_health.pdf

Southend’s strategic health priorities are underpinned by local health evidence*, and engagement with a range of key stakeholders and the local community. Spatial planning has a key role in creating and maintaining healthier environments and making a healthy lifestyle as easy as possible for example by:

• using active environment design and spatial planning principles to support healthy lifestyles;
• maintaining and developing safe spaces for play, sport and social interaction that are accessible for all;
• using cultural spaces, such as parks to access the arts and heritage, and by doing so, increasing physical activity;
• developing integrated active travel networks, which are safe and connected for walking, cycling and for public transport; 
• designing homes to be flexible for residents’ use at all stages of their lives, including provision for extra care and other specialist housing;
• making better use of our existing natural and built environments to encourage healthy lifestyles for all;
• continuing to avoid or mitigate air, noise, water, soil pollution and flood risk, so our surroundings are clean and green.

* Annual Public Health Report 

Strategic Objective 1: Deliver new and improved infrastructure to meet sustainable growth by pursuing an ‘infrastructure led’ approach.
Strategic Objective 2: Contribute towards the delivery of sustainable, safe and healthy complete neighbourhoods. 
Strategic Objective 3: Reduce deprivation and reduce inequalities between the neighbourhoods of Southend.
Strategic Objective 4: Promote and protect community and sport and recreation facilities.

Key supporting documents that underpin the policies are available at localplan.southend.gov.uk/evidence-documents

• About a third of adults in Southend are physically inactive – a quarter of adults complete less than 30 minutes moderate activity per week*.
• Around 2 in 5 children leaving primary school (Year 6) are considered to be overweight or living with obesity**.
• Southend has above average incidence of people in poor mental and physical health. 
• Southend has above average proportion of older residents – over 65’s will increase from 19% to around 25% of population by 2031***.
• 10-year gap in life expectancy between residents living in the most and least deprived neighbourhoods.

* Active Lives Adult (Sport England) November 2022-2023 

** National Child Measurement Programme 2021-2022 (OHID)

*** Southend Adult Social Care JSNA (2022)

1. New development must contribute to healthy, inclusive and safe places, which enable and support healthy lifestyles and address health and wellbeing needs in Southend, having regard to the latest Southend Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and Annual Public Health Report.
2. New development should demonstrate that it will not jeopardise the city’s ability to improve the education attainment, health and well-being of local residents and visitors to Southend.
3. The Council will support development that enhances the primary care network to support easy access to services and reduce health inequalities, enabling the broader integration of health and social care services in collaboration with the NHS and partner organisations.
4. A desktop Health Impact Assessment (HIA) will be required (see Appendix 5) for:

• developments of 50 or more dwellings, and/or 5000sqm or more non-residential floorspace; 
• developments where an Environmental Impact Assessment is required;
• where a large House of Multiple Occupation (HMO)* is proposed. 
  If the desktop HIA shows any significant issues a full HIA may be required having regard to local health evidence and how any potential health impacts can be mitigated.   

5. Planning applications for hot food takeaways and fast food outlets will be refused where they are located within close proximity to schools unless the location is within a designated City, District or Neighbourhood centre.  The buffer zone around schools is shown in Appendix 5.
6. To facilitate healthy lifestyles, new development must be in general conformity with all policies within the Local Plan with particular emphasis to those set out in Policy Table SP4.1

*7 or more unrelated people living together in an HMO (Sui Generis Use Class)

The links between Local Plan policies and health and wellbeing are cross-cutting across a range of social, economic, and environmental issues.  The Local Plan policies most relevant to health and wellbeing are listed below:

Strategic Objective 1
Strategic Objective 2
Strategic Objective 3
Strategic Objective 4
Strategic Objective 21
Policy SP3 Securing and improving Infrastructure

Community facilities are essential both to residents’ quality of life and to the sustainability of the city. They contribute to the provision of ‘complete neighbourhoods’ so that residents can access facilities and services they require easily and conveniently.

With changes in society and service provision it is necessary to ensure that existing facilities are protected, and new facilities meet the needs of residents. There are trends in some sectors, such as health, for a move towards consolidating services at ‘Hub’ locations. This offers benefits in the quality of care but needs to be planned carefully to ensure that it is accessible to all users.