COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN, NEWCASTLE, RATHCOOLE, SAGGART AND BRITTAS AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

MOTION NO. 19

MOTION: Councillor F. Timmons

That this Area Committee request SDCC reconsider a coffee van at Corkagh Park to cater for people with mobility issues who can’t get to new café and caters for after 3pm when that café stops serving and before 10am when it opens and SDCC reconsider this by updating the casual trading by-laws.

REPORT:

SDCC has funded a comprehensive upgrade of Corkagh Park which includes a new hub in the centre of the park with new facilities such as the Park House Café, plaza and performance space. This significant investment is intended to enhance the visitor experience and relies on the café operating successfully as a key part of the overall development.

Casual Trading licences are annual and subject to review. Renewal, including allocation of the same location, is not guaranteed. The SDCC Casual Trading Byelaws within the administrative area have recently undergone a comprehensive review, which included a period of public consultation. As a result of this review, the updated Casual Trading Byelaws were presented to the elected members during the Council's meeting held on 8th December. At the meeting, the elected members formally adopted the revised Casual Trading Byelaws, which have come into effect since 1st January 2026. The existing locations were revised and the tea/coffee/confectionery offering at Corkagh Park (St John’s entrance) is no longer licenced as of 1st January 2026. The offering of ice-cream/confectionery remains at St Johns entrance in addition to the ice-cream/confectionery at Camac Valley entrance to Corkagh Park.

There is now a permanent provision of a coffee shop in Corkagh Park which also supports the provision of publicly accessible toilets, baby changing facilities and shelter in the park. This is in line with SDCCs parks and open spaces strategy and supports and facilitates longer dwell time in the parks for visitors at a time when outdoor living and use of our parks is increasing in popularity. The coffee shop in Corkagh Park is a very welcome addition to the recreation facilities and amenities in this popular park.

As a newly opened business, the coffee shop will expand its hours once staffing and operations allow. It will operate during the opening hours of the park. This does not mean that it has to be open for the duration of the opening hours. Also, it must close 30 mins prior to the park closing times to allow for customers to exit the carpark before it is locked.  The opening hours may vary seasonally as with the park opening hours, in line with changes to the opening hours in the park.