Pop-up eatery on Princes Street given the green light to remain

The most recent addition to the dining scene on Princes Street has been given the green light by Cork City Council to remain as a permanent eatery on the street.

Cork City Council has granted conditional planning permission for the change of use of the ground floor of 24 Princes Street from a commercial unit to a café/restaurant.

The new venture is the brainchild of the team involved in Clancy’s bar, also on Princes Street, and opened as a pop-up café at Christmas time.

The premises was previously Lee Travel, which relocated its operations there to Heffernan’s Travel on Pembroke Street, taken over by Lee Travel in 2018.

"We took over the lease on that premises [24 Princes Street] from Declan O’Connell in Lee Travel last year and we’re delighted now to see that we have a conditional planning got to turn it into a café and a restaurant and we hope to open it when the Covid restrictions are lifted and add to the already vibrant Princes Street for the summer and the years ahead," owner of Clancy’s bar Paul Montgomery told The Echo.

"We’ll have an emphasis on the outdoor dining obviously there a lot.

"It will be a lovely independent venue and we’ll obviously be able to give it support from Clancy’s, but it will operate in its own right.

"We temporarily ran a little shop there at Christmas time so it will trade under the name Kings.

"It was Kings in a previous life as a bar one time," he continued.

Speaking about the food offering that will be available in Kings, Mr Montgomery said the focus will be on Mediterranean cuisine.

“The food offering in Kings will be a contemporary take on Mediterranean street food with Greek souvlaki, gyros, koftas and tornado potatoes, to mention a few.

“All dishes will be made so that they can be served in a freshly rolled pita or on a salad base giving the option of healthy alternatives,” he said.

Six routine conditions are attached to Cork City Council's approval of the development.

While Cork City Council has granted permission for the change of use of the ground floor, the decision could still be appealed with An Bord Pleanála.

If there is no appeal against the decision, a grant of permission in accordance with the decision will be issued after the expiration of the period within which an appeal may be made to An Bord Pleanála.