Canal-boat restaurant operators on the Grand Canal in Dublin have spoken out after they were banned from providing takeaway meals amid the current pandemic restrictions.
According to The Irish Times, at least one eatery is out of pocket by thousands of euro after Waterways Ireland enforced rules that mean floating restaurants can only serve food while moving — and not when moored.
In a statement, the cross-border body for Ireland’s inland waterways said it understood that any boat-based business trading “at a fixed location” requires planning permission for that purpose.
But that doesn’t sit well with restaurateurs who argue that they should be allowed to operate on the same terms as their land-based counterparts — and that Waterways Ireland has been “deeply un-empathetic” about their situation.
“All across Ireland restaurants that can’t open have been offering takeaway, and the Government told local authorities that could be done without planning permission,” Sam Field Corbett told The Irish Times, which has much more on the story HERE.
