As part of the City Recovery Plan, Dublin City Council (DCC) are placing a 40 foot by 10 foot coffee shop on one of the most beautiful grass areas of Griffith Park. DCC have decided to do this without ANY consultation with the local community and park users.

This petition is to call on DCC to pause the coffee shop development along with excavation works and engage with stakeholders as promised in the "City Recovery Taskforce". Here DCC commit to "extensive stakeholder engagement" during the process of city recovery after the pandemic. https://www.dublincity.ie/news/dublin-city-council-establish-city-recovery-task-force

Stakeholders include: 

Local Residents Associations who are uniquely affected by commercialisation of the park. 

Nature groups who seek to minimise green space taken from the park. 

Local businesses who while paying rates and rent throughout the pandemic are currently threatened by this development.

Children who play and socialise in the park. 

Regular and casual park users who should also have their voices heard.

The stakeholders are willing to work in partnership with DCC to resolve the issue of a clean accessible toilet. We want to ensure we can keep our precious green space as well as a toilet in Griffith Park. We have to protect the nature, biodiversity and beauty of Griffith Park.

There are many cafes surrounding Griffith Park who had to close during the pandemic while continuing to pay rent and rates to DCC. Now DCC are giving this green space to Tram Co. Cafe for no rent in exchange for maintaining a toilet. The local community have been extremely supportive throughout the pandemic of locally owned cafes and businesses whose financial recovery is threatened by this development. 

We want DCC to pause the construction of the coffee shop and consult with and engage with the various stakeholders. We have a duty to protect our green spaces. You can buy a coffee anywhere, you can't buy nature in a shop.