A council has denied a pizza restaurant’s expansion due to concerns about childhood obesity in Bacup, Lancashire
Bacup: So, there’s this pizza place called Woody’s Pizza that wanted to open a new spot in town. But guess what? The council said no because they think the kids are too fat. Can you believe that?
Woody’s already has a couple of locations in Lancashire and was hoping to take over an old café that shut down. The owner, Colum Hustler, said they use less salt and sugar in their food and want to buy local ingredients. Sounds good, right?
But the council wasn’t having it. They claimed that allowing another takeaway would go against local plans since they believe the kids in Bacup are overweight. It’s not the first time, either. They turned down another takeaway plan earlier this year for the same reason.
Some locals are not on board with the council’s decision. A 75-year-old guy named Eric thinks the kids are fine and that they need more places to hang out. He’s worried that if they don’t have options in Bacup, they’ll just go somewhere else.
According to the council’s rules, they won’t approve new takeaways if a certain percentage of kids are classified as obese. And it turns out, in the Greensclough area, about 20% of kids aged 10 to 11 are considered obese. That’s a big deal.
Sarah, who runs a nearby café, thinks there’s room for healthy takeaways. She’s even planning to apply for a takeaway license herself. She believes people want healthier options, and she’s ready to fight for it.
Interestingly, the council’s planning officer said the pizza place wouldn’t fit in with the area’s heritage and wouldn’t add anything new to Bacup. Some residents also complained about the proposed opening hours, saying it could lead to trouble in the neighborhood.
Woody’s Pizza argued that they’re different from other takeaways. They don’t use cheap frozen food and want to support local markets. They even said they’re a credit to the community. But in the end, the council refused their plans, citing concerns about obesity and the impact on local living conditions.
It’s a tough situation for everyone involved, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens next.
