Twenty-seven applicants for beach casual trading licences

A RECORD 27 application were received in response to Meath County Council’s call for casual trading licence application for the upcoming summer season on Bettystown beach, substantially more than in any previous years according to a council official.

Six coveted pitches were up for grabs, three for ice-cream, two for food and one for beach goods.

Of the 27 there were 13 applications for ice cream, thirteen for food and one for beach goods and a draw by lot took place due to oversubscription.

Meath County Council are currently in the process of issuing licenses to successful applicants.

Under new regulations beach wardens will control access for traders with trading hours between 12pm and 6pm and additional litter requirements will need to be adhered to including all license holders being responsible for their litter with no extra bins provided by the council.

The local authority’s plan to ban casual trading on the beach for the summer 2020 season due to Coronavirus and social distancing restrictions caused disappointment among businesses who were hoping to win a spot on the famous beach last year.

Fine Gael Cllr Sharon Tolan welcomed the news and applauded the council’s additional regulations around litter and suggested that environmentally friendly products should be encouraged going forward.

Fine Gael Cllr Paddy Meade said it was “a great day that some vehicles would be allowed back on the beach” and acknowledged that for some businesses the loss of income was significant last year.

“I’m looking forward to having an ice cream on the beach again,” he said.