Above: Herbert Park café site?
Some time ago Dublin City Council launched a popular scheme to bring cafés to Dublin parks. Happily, these are now coming on stream, with the first opening in Harold’s Cross Park last year.
The new café, operated by Noshington Café, sees the reuse of the old toilet block built in 1943. It is at the western end of the green space opposite Mount Jerome Cemetery and will be open seven days a week throughout the year.
Our own Herbert Park will also see a café opening in the very near future. This will also see the re-tasking of an existing building, this time by SBA Architects. The changing rooms beside the tennis courts have been developed and good use has been made of them too.
Local residents have inspected the plans and all are in agreement that it is a great improvement on what was there. A glass wall is being constructed so the café will be bright, airy but also sympathetic to the park surroundings.
A true sign that DCC is doing a good job is the fact that ULSARA, the notoriously planning aware local residents association, have given the whole scheme the thumbs up. Dublin City Council will be launching an open tender for running the Herbert park café and it will be advertised on e-tenders by the end of February or early March. Several local businesses are eager to submit applications.
NewsFour spoke to some park users about the development. Tony is a father of three young boys and lives nearby. He told us, “It’s something I’ve often thought should be there, so I’m delighted it’s happening now. It means being able to spend much longer in the park with my boys, particularly in winter, because we can nip in for tea and buns to warm up, then out to play again.”
Conor Harrington of DCC told NewsFour they envisage the café to be up and running by the summer.
By Steve Kingston
