Dublin canal market to shut as bid to save it fails

A lunchtime food market on the Grand Canal in Dublin 4 that has been running for three years has been axed after opposition from residents and Dublin City Council.

The market’s 16 takeaway-food stalls, on either side of the canal close to Mount Street Bridge, had drawn customers from numerous offices in the area, with its location close to Grand Canal Dock and Google’s European headquarters.

The council had already refused permission, in March, for Waterways Ireland to carry on holding the market each Friday, as the event contravened its policy to "preserve, provide and improve recreational amenity and open space and green infrastructure" along the canal.

But last month the cross-Border organisation charged with protecting and managing 1,000km of canals and rivers said it intended to continue, using a loophole that allowed the market to run for up to 30 days a year without planning permission.

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Almost 40 local residents and residents’ groups had objected to the continuation of the market. Residents said the fact that it was not a farmers’ or craft market but a collection of fast-food outlets made it inappropriate for a conservation area. Some said that the stalls blocked their views of the canal and that there was a danger of tripping over cables. Others complained about overflowing bins, additional traffic and noise, and damage to grass on the bank. Concerns were also raised about the effect on moorhens, mallards and other wildlife.

Several businesses, including Donnybrook Fair on Baggot Street and the owners of Freshii on Mespil Road, also objected. They said stall staff and customers tried to use the toilets of local businesses, whose custom the market was affecting.

Waterways Ireland this week wrote to residents to say it would be telling the stalls to shut down. “Subsequent to Dublin City Council’s decision to not grant planning permission for a market to operate at Percy Place, Waterways Ireland contacted the market operator and advised them to cease trading at this location,” the letter stated.

Permission for another Waterways Ireland market on the canal, at Mespil Road on the south bank and Wilton Terrace on the north side, is under appeal to An Bord Pleanála.