Fáilte Ireland is seeking to establish a food hall and cultural space at the vacant St Andrew’s Church on Dublin’s Suffolk Street in Dublin 2.
In a letter to Dublin City Council Laura McCarthy, manager of corporate services at Fáilte Ireland, said “the proposed change of use for the premises has the potential to create a major centrally-based asset for the city, with the potential to inject cultural and economic value which would benefit local residents, employees and all visitors, both domestic and foreign”.
Ms McCarthy said food tourism generates around €2 billion to the Irish economy each year. “In order to generate and sustain further economic opportunity and economic development we need to create iconic food and drink experiences – the proposed change of use and redevelopment of St Andrew’s would be the embodiment of that vision.”
Ms McCarthy added: “It is envisaged that the proposed food hall will showcase the best of local and Irish produce within a very high-quality setting which will not only reinvigorate but repurpose part of our capital city’s historic building inventory.”
While Dublin City Council has invalidated the application on technical points, Fáilte Ireland is likely to to relodge the proposal. Planning documents state that the new food hall has the potential to generate 30 to 40 full and part-time jobs.
The Swords-based Wright Group secured planning for a food hall at St Andrew’s church in 2019 through its Mink Fusion subsidiary, but with the Covid-19 pandemic intervening the firm did not proceed with the five-year planning permission.
A separate planning report lodged with the application by David Mulcahy Planning Consultants said the proposed new use “will bring life back to this vacant building which is one of the most prominent buildings in the city”.
Mr Mulcahy said “the concept of a food/dining hall, which is essentially a permanent indoor market with associated dining facilities, is well established in most European cities, and they are very popular for tourists, city residents and local employees”.
He said that the emphasis would be on showcasing local produce, fresh where possible, and all individual vendors will be required to provide a high-quality offering. The submission states that “this will be controlled by the overall operator”.
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