Wicklow Council receives award for school No Fry zone policy

Wicklow County Council has received an award in recognition of its creation of “No Fry Zones” within 400 metres of schools.

The No Fry Zone movement in Wicklow grew out of local opposition to plans by McDonalds to open a drive through and take-away restaurant in Blacklion, Greystones on a site opposite three new schools .

Wicklow County Council planners twice granted planning permission to McDonalds for the fast food outlet during a three year campaign of opposition by Greystones residents. The residents under the banner “No Fry Zones 4 Kids” sought a ban on deep-fried, fast food outlets within 400m of the new schools and similar bans at other schools throughout the county.

In the drafting of the County Development Plan 2016 to 2022, council management advised some fast food restaurants were already within 400m of schools. County management suggested the 400m exclusion zone be replaced by a wording involving “careful consideration” of planning applications for fast food outlets.

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However, No Fry Zones 4 Kids ultimately convinced elected members to include the specific 400m ban in the development plan and it was voted in by 25 votes to three.

During public consultation on the development plan submissions in favour of the ban came from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s Policy Group on Obesity, the HSE, DCU, TCD, UCG, the Irish Heart Foundation’s Nutrition Council, Safefood, and the Association for the Study of Obesity, among others.

Two submissions calling for greater consideration of the issues were from the Department of the Environment and former Wicklow TD Billy Timmins.

The No Fry Zone campaign is now campaigning for a State-wide ban on deep-fried, fast food outlets within 400metres of schools. Spokesman Philip Moyles this week presented the campaign’s strategy to the Association for the Study of Obesity annual conference in the Royal College of physicians in Dublin.

Mr Moyles also made a submission to the joint Oireachtas committees on Children and Youth Affairs which is seeking suggestions on how to tackle childhood obesity.

“Adopting No Fry Zones around schools across the country was one simple action that should be taken and is part of the overall solution to tackle childhood obesity,” Mr Moyles said.

The Association for the Study of Obesity Award was accepted on behalf of the council this week by chairman of Greystones Municipal District Derek Mitchell.