In February 2013 Wingecarribee Shire Council adopted an amended Smoke Free Outdoor Areas Policy.
The policy will see smoke free zones introduced in Council managed outdoor dining areas in stages from the 1st of July 2013.
Council managed outdoor dining areas are areas which Council regulates through licence agreements with businesses and generally means establishments like cafés and restaurants who use Council managed land such as footpaths for outdoor dining purposes.
The first stage is effective from the 1st of July 2013 and sees smoke free zones implemented at all outdoor dining areas on Council managed land throughout the Shire excluding those located in Bowral’s Corbett Plaza, the site of one of the Shire’s premier dining areas.
Stage two comes into effect from the 8th of November 2013 and will see outdoor dining areas on Council managed land within Corbett Plaza also implement smoke free zones.
Businesses will be required to display signage in their front window to enable customers to identify the newly designated smoke free areas. Customers dining in these areas will be required to refrain from smoking and are advised to move away from the area prior to ‘lighting up’.
Council’s Manager of Environment and Sustainability, Barry Arthur explained the new outdoor dining arrangements.
“The introduction of the new smoke free zones have been deliberately designed to be gradually phased in to allow customers time to get used to the new arrangements and for businesses to prepare,” Mr Arthur said.
“They build on Council’s existing Smoke Free Outdoor Areas Policy which originated from community feedback and was introduced back in February 2012.
“Council’s amended smoke free policy is now closely aligned with state legislation which came into effect in January this year,” Mr Arthur said.
This state legislation, and Council Policy now both stipulate that smoking is prohibited in the following areas:
- within 10 metres of children’s play equipment;
- a swimming pool complex;
- a spectator area at a sports ground or other recreational area being used for an organised sporting event;
- public transport stops and stations (including ferry wharves and taxi ranks) and;
- within four metres of a pedestrian access point to a building.
Council’s Policy also extends the prohibition on smoking to include areas within 10 metres of a Council owned building.
