Mr. Philip Moyles:

I am the chairperson of the No Fry Zone 4 Kids committee based in Greystones, County Wicklow. I am a dad to two girls, Amy, two, in crèche and Jess, nine, in St. Kevin's primary school, Greystones. In July 2013, a drive-through fast-food outlet applied for planning permission just 35 m away from an education campus of three schools, two primary and one post-primary, of 1,850 students. A group of concerned parents and I came together to prevent this from happening, primarily because the location was completely inappropriate and unsuitable. Over the past five years we have learned much about the planning process, the county development and how the proximity of fast-food outlets to schools can impact on childhood obesity.

Working with Wicklow county councillors over an 18 month period, a no-fry zone objective, RT 17 was adopted into the Wicklow County Development Plan 2016-2022. The important point of this objective was that it included a specific distance of 400 m where no new fast-food or takeaway outlets could be built or operated in proximity of schools or playgrounds. The distance was chosen based on the evidence gathered in studies over the past ten to 15 years, primarily in the US and Canada. These studies show conclusively that obesity rates among schoolchildren increase by at least 25% when fast-food outlets are located within 400 m of a school, particularly in lower socio-economic areas. Within that distance, schoolchildren have enough time to access these fast foods at low prices at break times. Additionally, these junk foods are promoted heavily to target schoolchildren who are impressionable and have disposable income.

Our no-fry zone proposal received significant and credible support from leading healthcare experts throughout the country through written submissions, 58 in total, during the county development plan process. These experts included the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland's policy obesity group, chaired by Professor Donal O'Shea and Professor Catherine Hayes; the Association for the Study of Obesity on the Island of Ireland, ASOI; the Irish Heart Foundation; the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, INDI; safefood; and the healthy eating active living programme in the HSE. Many academics made submissions from DCU, DIT, NUI, TCD, UCC and UCD.

There is a need for no-fry zones. No-fry zones around schools will reduce the rate of obesity by preventing easy access for schoolchildren to unhealthy foods. They will reduce the direct, constant and targeted promotion of these junk foods to schoolchildren. No-fry zones of 400 m around schools will ensure consistency in local planning when it comes to fast-food outlet applications and proximity to schools. This is very much lacking today. They will help reshape the local planning framework to reduce the obesogenic environment for our schoolchildren and in our communities. This action was proposed in the Healthy Weight for Ireland Obesity Policy and Action Plan 2016-2025.

Obesity is not a local issue but a national one. As happy as we are in Wicklow to have a no-fry zone, we believe strongly that such zones should be implemented around schools throughout the country as soon as possible. No-fry zones will contribute to the health and well-being of children and are part of the overall solution to tackle childhood obesity.