COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

south dublin county council crest

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE (1)

Monday, September 19, 2011

QUESTION NO. 3

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

"To ask the Manager to report on the Tallaght Farmer's Market, to examine the possibility of running the Market on a Saturday due to heavier footfall in the area of Chambers Square, and to make a statement on the matter?"

REPLY:The Tallaght Farmer's Market was established and initially operated in the High Street. However, this location proved to be impractical mainly because the prevailing South West winds swept directly down the street and made it difficult and uncomfortable for the stallholders to display their produce. 

The market was moved over to County Hall after enabling works were carried out in Chambers Square, to accomodate operational requirements. The initial trading period was very positive and 15 stalls on average sold their produce. 

There was a marked decline in footfall and sales as the economy shrunk. The cost of fresh organic produce is normally slightly more expensive than from the multibles and as incomes declined, customers migrated back to low cost retailers.

The market ceased trading with the advent of the bad weather spell late last year. Efforts were made to restart activities in the Spring with little success. A cohort of 8 to 10 traders is required to make a viable market. There was insuffient interest from the traders to meet this requirement and the market ceased to operate..

The possibility of opening on Saturdays was examined, however Friday was chosen for a number of different reasons. The presence of staff from County Hall and their purchasing power made Friday a more viable day than Saturday. In addition, many of the traders were already committed to be at other markets on Saturdays. Also, a considerable amount of equipment, which is stored in County Hall, has to be accessed and assembled on market day. This also requires a staff presence, which made Friday a more practical option than Saturday.

Given that the Council supports an increasing number of allotment growers, the possibility of intergrating their activity into a market has merit. A scoping exercise will be carried out to examine if mutual opportunities exist so that a summer market might be re-established.