Seanad debates

Wednesday, 19 November 2003

Report of Tourism Policy Review Group: Statements.

 

For example, I recently looked at a small coffee shop or sandwich bar that had opened in Ireland. I wished the proprietor well and wanted to go through the planning process with him. He told me about it and the difficulties he had. These were practical difficulties, that in general we agree with, and in fairness he said he had had reasonable experience with the planning authorities in the particular county, which was outside Dublin. However, he showed me a small kitchen area. He had expected to have extra space, but this was taken up by a staff toilet. I pointed out that there was another toilet for invalid accessibility beside it, which should have been adequate for the needs of the sandwich bar, but he said that was for customers. He had only two or three people working there, yet he was required under the legislation to have two separate toilets in a small space that would seat only ten people, one for staff and one for customers. He had to install those toilets or he would not have got planning permission. It is not the local planning authorities that require that, but the legislation passed by the Oireachtas.

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