A COMMUNITY leader has called for a block on granting planning permission for any more takeaways in his ward.

Queensferry councillor David Wisinger has written to planning chiefs at Flintshire Council asking them to back his quest to ban more fast food outlets opening on Station Road, which he says has become a ‘takeaway town’.

He said: “I have sent a letter to Andrew Farrow, head of planning and Carl Longland, director of environment, to ask them to support my call.

“I want the council to be able to refuse any applications for takeaways in Queensferry, because the area is saturated with them already and we do not need any more.

“I know it is against planning policy, but enough is enough and something has to be done.”

The Leader reported earlier this month that many Queensferry shopkeepers had hit back at the ‘takeaway town’ label.

Gary Owen, proprietor of Queensferry Sports, said: “This is my 38th year in Queensferry and the shop has been in my family since it was built in 1906.

“Times are hard, but we are all trying our best and there is much more to Queensferry than just takeaways.”

But Cllr Wisinger said something must be done to curb the number of fast food chains and attract more businesses to the area.

He added: “It’s a bit of a balancing act, because I don’t want to see shops empty and boarded up, but we just need something different here.

“The takeaways have swamped Queensferry and I hope Flintshire Council realises it is a special case.”