Publican Charlie Chawke is contesting a decision by local planners to refuse planning retention for an outdoor cafe and ancillary elements at his Goat pub in Goatstown, south Dublin.
Mr Chawke’s Charjon Investments Ltd has lodged an appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the decision by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to refuse planning retention for the outdoor Box’d Coffee kiosk which is located in a repurposed shipping container.
The scheme also includes outdoor seating along with signage and a series of ancillary elements providing outdoor entertainment for pub customers including a large outdoor TV screen.
The council decided the visual impact of the coffee shop container, outdoor seating, other structures and large TV were out of keeping with the area.
In the appeal lodged on behalf of Charjon Investments, planning consultants Tom Phillips & Associates note “shipping container usage in several similar settings in Ireland” during the Covid-19 lockdowns “as exempted developments”.
The consultants state: “Whereas the allowance has expired, Covid has not. Many patrons are comfortable sitting out using the facility which, it must be reiterated, trades only until 4pm each day.”
The appeal says the repurposed shipping container for a food/beverage use “is innovative and an environmentally conscious alternative to a permanent structure”.
The appeal also states that the Goat site already serves a civic function where children and their guardians wander in to see the donkeys, Connemara ponies and the eponymous goats.
Mr Phillips said Box’d Coffee “provides a high-quality, open-space meeting point for members of the public to gather and socialise in a safe and responsible manner”, adding that Covid-19 “is still a global problem” with many members of the public considered at high risk of serious infection.
“The provision of amenities and services that can cater according to this reality remains critical to facilities for the needs of the local community and the patrons of the Goat public house,” the appeal says.
Box’D Coffee can continue to operate pending an An Bord Pleanála decision but if the appeal fails, Mr Chawke faces the prospect of having to remove the structures.
