Plans to turn a former County Durham sandwich shop into a takeaway have been blocked.

The building, which is located 190 metres from Seaview Primary School, has been vacant for some time.

Plans for the shop on The Avenue, Seaham, included a new shopfront with security shutters, and an extraction system.

The proposal was met with several objections. The most notable of these was that it conflicted with Policy 30 of the County Durham Plan, which aims to limit takeaways within 400 metres of school entry points to promote healthy eating among children.

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Environmental health officials also raised concerns about the extraction system due to insufficient technical details.

The lack of a schematic showing how the system would fit into the building prevented a full assessment, raising concerns about potential noise and odour impacts on nearby residents.

The application received only one public comment, which was in support of the proposal.

The highways department did not raise any objections regarding parking or road safety, as the proposal was not expected to significantly increase traffic.

The application was ultimately refused due to the health impact and insufficient technical information about the extraction system.

This decision was based on non-compliance with Policies 30 and 31 of the County Durham Plan, as well as parts of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The applicant has the option to appeal the decision to the Planning Inspectorate within six months of the decision.