Popular cafe to open first Cork location at former city centre bank 

Sprout and Co Kitchen Ltd have been granted planning permission from Cork City Council for a development at the former Ulster Bank unit at nos 16/17 Winthrop St.

They sought permission for a change of use of the ground and first floors from financial services to a cafe, along with new business signage, and any associated site-development works.

Permission has been granted by the council, in accordance with a series of conditions, including around waste disposal and water supply.

One condition states that the premises shall not operate for the sale of food to the public outside of the permitted hours of use, from 9am to 9.30pm, “in the interest and protection of the vitality of the streetscape”.

The cafe will be operational from 11am to 9pm, Monday to Saturday.

The proposed ground floor consists of a prep and serve area, enclosed kitchen, four window tables, and accompanying seating, while the proposed first floor consists of seven dining tables and accompanying seating, a prep kitchen, cold room, store, staff changing room and staff toilets, with no works proposed to the second floor of the building.

The subject site is located in an area designated ‘secondary retail frontage’, with the zoning objective to restrict residential uses, retail offices, general offices, hot food takeaways and betting shops at ground floor level — leading city planners to seek more information from the applicant to confirm that their business was not a hot food takeaway, and further information on proposed signage.

A report by one Cork City planner deemed their application acceptable, noting that the applicant had confirmed they were not a hot-food takeaway, and that the cafe will provide a sit-down and lunch-collection salad-based menu.

This will be the first Cork and first outside-Leinster location for Sprout & Co, which is run by brothers Jack and Theo Kirwin, who were inspired at Ballymaloe Cookery School to open the business, which currently has outlets in Dublin and Kildare.