THE NHS has lost its battle to stop Greggs opening a shop in a town centre.
A local health board accused the bakery chain of selling “unhealthy food” and tried to block its move to a vacant shop.
The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board argued Pontypool, South Wales, already had a “proliferation of food and drink outlets”.
It was also critical of the “location of the unit close to an educational setting” and objected to “the occupier selling unhealthy foods”.
But planning officer Tom Braithwaite said: “There is limited planning policy context to justify opposition to this.”
He added that Greggs would also not harm the “vitality” of the town centre in the near 30,000-populated area.
A statement by planning agents stated: “In 2023, Greggs far exceeded their target for 30 per cent of the items on their shelves to be healthier choices.
“In fact, 40 per cent of the range was a healthier option.
“Greggs define a ‘healthier option’ as one that contains fewer than 400 calories and with no red traffic lights, based on the UK Government’s voluntary nutrition labelling scheme.”
Did you know Greggs sausage rolls have 96 layers of pastry?
The first Greggs opened in 1951 on Gosforth High Street.
There are also 2,473 shops around the country — a thousand more than McDonald’s.
Greggs is now valued at £2.6billion thanks to its budget deals.
Nearly £2 in every £100 spent in UK hospitality is done in a Greggs.
Newcastle still remains the sausage roll capital of the UK, with Geordies scoffing 17.9 million of them a year.
