Council’s ‘ban’ on ice-cream and coffee vans

From this week’s Galway City Tribune – Catering vans selling ice-cream and coffee will not be allowed to trade at the city’s popular amenity hotspots this Summer.

Galway City Council has reiterated its policy which effectively rules out casual trading in public spaces other than Eyre Square and St Nicholas’ Saturday Market, unless there is an “event” happening.

It comes as the Council’s Planning Department cracks down on the use of a metal container to shelter customers from the elements at a busy Salthill café.

The owner of Ground and Co café in Salthill has called for ‘flexibility’, after planners issued an enforcement notice ordering the removal of a metal container installed last November. “It was never a permanent solution,” he said.

Councillor Niall McNelis had now asked City Hall to set out its position on outside catering and food trucks trading casually.

He said that he had been inundated with queries from entrepreneurs looking for permission to sell food and drink in their catering trucks at locations including Silverstrand; Barna Woods; Cappagh Park; Merlin Woods; Grattan Beach; Claddagh Quay; Ballyloughane Beach and the Cathedral car park.

“This Summer we are going to encourage more people to socialise outdoors, and to use our parks and amenities, because it is safer outdoors during Covid. What processes will the City Council put in place to invite licences to those locations?” asked Cllr McNelis.

Dermot Mahon, Acting Director of Services for Recreation and Amenity, in a written response, said that casual trading in private property was subject to planning permission and on public property is subject to the Council’s bylaws and the Casual Trading Act.

He said Eyre Square and St Nicholas’ Market are designated casual trading areas under bylaws.

Casual trading is only permitted in those areas, or in other areas, if a licence is issued for a specific event. Therefore, in order to allow casual trading in the areas mentioned by Cllr McNelis, he said there would need to be an event happening, or the bylaws would need to be changed.

Meanwhile, Kevin Nugent, proprietor of Ground and Co in Salthill, beside the aquarium, has asked for ‘flexibility’ from planners in relation to a metal shipping container placed outside his café.

It was installed adjacent his premises last November as a sheltered area for customers when outdoor dining was allowed.

“I put it there in November as a temporary solution until February when we expected indoor dining to resume. This was never a permanent structure. It was and is just a temporary solution until indoor dining resumes,” said Mr Nugent.

A planner at City Hall had complimented Mr Nugent on the fit-out of the container, but the Planning Department soon changed its tune.

(Photo: the container outside Ground and Co).
This is a shortened preview version of this article. For more on this story and from Kevin Nugent, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.