Health Impact Assessment

Local Planning application requirements

Guidance

A health impact assessment should outline how the development could positively or negatively impact on the wider determinants of health and should identify actions to enhance the positive impacts and mitigate the negative impacts. The outcome of these actions should be clearly identifiable within the planning application.

A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) guidance has been prepared to provide additional advice and guidance on undertaking HIAs for development proposals within Tower Hamlets. The document expands on the existing policy – D.SG3 Health Impact Assessments – in the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2020. 

This guidance is currently focused on Part 2 of the HIA policy (developments of a scale referable to the Greater London Authority), however can be utilised as relevant for rapid HIAs undertaken for Part 1 of the policy. For example HIAs for hot food takeaways should focus on creating the Healthiest of Environments.

When required

Policy D.SG3 part 1: A rapid Health Impact Assessment is required for major developments within an area substandard air quality (as shown in the Policies Map), and developments which contain any of the following uses:

i.          Education facilities

ii.         Health facilities

iii.        Leisure or community facilities

iv.        A5 uses (hot food takeaways)

v.         Betting shops

vi.        Publicly accessible open space

Policy D.SG3 part 2: Development of a scale referable to the Greater London Authority (GLA) (as set out in legislation) are required to complete and submit a detailed health impact assessment as part of the planning application.

Policy/drivers

• Policy D.SG3 of the LBTH Local Plan 2031 (January 2020)
• Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2017-2020