Policy information sourced from the Richmond Upon Thames Local Plan

Policy 19 Managing the Impacts of Development on Surroundings

A. The Council will support proposals which contribute to cultural and creative activities during the day and at night-time to stimulate vibrancy and viability and promote diversity in our centres, and will manage the impacts by ensuring that:

  1. new proposals and extensions to existing uses should be of a type and size appropriate to their location, the hours of use proposed, the nature and character of the area; and
  2. where there are proposals for new residential properties and they are located in close proximity to established or planned uses with late night licences or other existing noise or nuisance-generating businesses or community activities, the proposed residential use will need to demonstrate that it is capable of mitigating its impact, on established uses and future occupiers.

B. Proposals for evening and food and drink uses should be accompanied by a management plan, including mitigation measures for any negative impacts of these uses. Impacts such as noise and light pollution on local wildlife and biodiversity should be considered through appropriate location, design and scheduling. Applications for food and drink uses where home delivery of food is proposed should include a Delivery and Servicing Plan to enable assessment of impacts.

C. The use of outdoor areas including garden areas, rooftops, forecourts and pavements in association with food and drink uses will be supported only where:

  1. this would not cause unacceptable harm to the amenity of adjoining residential property and the area generally, taking into account the size and type of the proposal, the hours of use proposed and the nature and character of the area; and
  2. in the case of pavements, the width of the footway is adequate to allow this without obstructing pedestrian flow, and the use is arranged so as not to be a hazard to people with disabilities and older people and families with small children. This may require a suitable means of enclosure or boundary to demarcate the extent of the use. Stopping up of public highway to provide private outdoor seating areas will be resisted, especially in town centres.

D. Over-concentration of uses:

  1. The Council will resist proposals that result in an over-concentration of similar uses (including for example betting shops, public houses, bars and take-aways) in any one area and/or that would result in an adverse impact on the amenity of nearby users as well as surrounding residential areas.
  2. Proposals for fast food takeaways will be refused within 400m of a school as set out in Policy 51 ‘Health and Wellbeing (Strategic Policy)’.

For more information please see the Richmond Upon Thames Local Plan