Dublin Council’s agreement over pub barrels
Where publicans have an existing street furniture licence, barrels will only be permitted within the licensed area.
Dublin City Council had earlier in the year announced plans for a complete ban on barrels outside pubs in Dublin’s Architectural Conservation Areas including:
- O’Connell Street
- Grafton Street
- Capel Street
- Dawson Street
- Between Grafton Street and South Great George’s Street
- Phibsborough
- Sandymount
- Ranelagh.
Outside these areas publicans would be required to either:
- get a street furniture licence
- or pay €630 per annum per barrel (with planning) for an advertising structure.
Legal advice sought by the LVA from Arthur Cox confirmed that the City Manager does have the authority and legislative basis to ban barrels and that councillors have no role in enforcement of this so that no legal or lobbying options were available to the Association.
But following the Association’s representations Dublin City Council agreed at a meeting in late February that in ACAs or ‘outside Protected Structures’ double-fronted pubs can have a maximum of two barrels while single-fronted pubs can have a maximum of one – subject to there being adequate footpath width (min of 1.8m from barrel edge to footpath edge or any street furniture such as bins, bollards, poles etc).
Pubs outside an ACA (and not being a Protected Structure) may have a maximum of four barrels subject to an adequate footpath width.
Where publicans have an existing street furniture licence, barrels will only be permitted within the licensed area.
The fees for same will mean that €60 will be charged per 0.3sq m of footpath and barrels will be subject to a statutory table charge of €125 plus an initial non-refundable first application fee of €100 and €50 for renewal.
Applicants have the opportunity to e-mail their details to the City Council at streetbarrels@dublincity.ie who’ll survey the location to see if it is suitable before an application is invited.
The Council will permit standard barrels only (max 60cm in diameter and a max of 90cm in height) .
Apart from the name of the pub, no advertising will be permitted on barrels and applicants will be made aware of their obligations under the Prohibition of Consumption of Intoxicating Liquor on Roads and in Public Places Byelaws 2008.
Recognising that DCC’s starting point was a complete ban on barrels in ACAs, the LVA has welcomed this proposal from DCC (with effect from 1st July 2020) as it balances the needs of pubs with the accessibility of public footpaths.
“While nobody likes the additional costs, they are more manageable than those on sandwich boards, for example,” states the Association.
“It is important that you use the period from now to 1st July to consider your own position and to complete the application process if you wish to maintain some barrels outside your pub,” advised LVA Chief Executive Donall O’Keeffe.
Enforcement action on unauthorised barrels will commence after 1st July. Dublin City Council will have further details on its website www.dublincity.ie.
