Could a €1,400 fee price mobile food and sauna businesses out of rural Cork?
Sara Perslow of the Swede Sauna at Roberts Cove. 'It would be a lot of money for me.' Picture: David Creedon
Municipal districts around Co Cork have been urged not to follow the example set by a €1,400 levy imposed on sauna and food operators.
The reported last month that a recent by-law change will formalise these operators as part of an effort to “protect business” in busy coastal areas such as Fountainstown and Myrtleville.
The €1,400 annual fee would make operating in Cork up to six times more expensive than in some other Munster counties.
The by-law, adopted this month in the Carrigaline Municipal District, is the first of its kind in the county, with the other seven districts expected to consider similar measures once the “Carrigaline process is complete”.
Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse said the fee “would be prohibitive for most operators in West Cork".
“They are casual in nature. Many operate only at weekends, or sometimes only once a week in a location, if even, because they are mobile,” she told the .
“They are also weather-dependent. It would not make sense for them to secure a bay for €1,300 to €1,400 per location, but only use it once a week or so.
“Many businesses operate in beautiful but remote locations which draw people from the surrounding areas and further afield for a unique West Cork experience close to nature.
"I worry we will lose these services, which enhance amenities such as piers and coves, if the price to pitch is prohibitive,” said Ms Towse.
In Kerry, there are plans to regulate sauna huts at 12 of the county’s 16 Blue Flag beaches.
Operators must set out measures on noise, signage, operating hours, and safety, while huts are not permitted on sand due to tidal risks and the need to maintain access.
Kerry County Council said the permit applications are currently under consideration.
In Waterford, a casual trading licence typically costs €350 per year, though some locations may incur a higher fee.
In Clare, traders are expected to pay €400 per spot for their licence.
In Dublin, Fingal County Council said a pilot scheme is being run for mobile saunas, with fees of €600 plus Vat for six months. Food vendors across various beaches, including Portmarnock and Malahide, pay fees of between €2,000 and €2,500.
Two food vendors at Dollymount beach bring in €21,500 for the council. “This makes a small contribution to the cost of maintaining and managing the beach and amenities on the island,” a Dublin City Council spokesperson added.
In Co Galway, there is no levy for trading at beaches. A spokesperson for Galway County Council said it is “examining pilot licensing models operating in other local authorities. A nominal administrative fee would be charged to cover processing costs.
“The proposed scheme would require vendors and other users of public spaces to provide proof of insurance, confirmation of the suitability of the proposed location, and compliance with any relevant conditions."
Donie McAuliffe will have to pay almost €10,000 a year to operate his saunas across seven remote West Cork locations, including Sheep’s Head, the Beara Peninsula, Red Strand, and Schull, if the levy comes into effect.
Mr McAuliffe said the fee is a “barrier to entry”, adding that the cost of fitting out a coffee truck could run to €20,000, with the annual levy on top of that, which is “six times more than our neighbours”.
“With saunas, you can operate them all year round. I’m actually slower in the summer and busier in the winter because the water is colder, so people need the sauna more," he said.
"I generally get a lot of sea swimmers. In the summer, people are busy; they’re going to Spain, they are going to music festivals, there’s a lot on. In the winter, there’s nothing on in West Cork."
Mr McAuliffe claimed in rural Ireland, there are “very little amenities.”
“The likes of a sauna or a coffee truck is a place where people can gather, because there are some places that do not have any restaurants,” he said.
Mr McAuliffe expressed frustration about how the new fees would affect rural Ireland and the uncertainty around when they would be introduced in the West Cork district.
“I might not get the pitches because they might not deem them needed. I’m not assuming I am going to get the seven pitches, but these are the places I go to. The council might decide that a couple of those are not appropriate or something,” he said.
“And there’s no word about when it is actually going to be rolled out in the other municipal districts… We haven’t been given a timeline as to when they are going to roll it out to the rest of the county.
“Apparently, the West Cork [Municipal District] has the ability to set their own fees contained within that, and I would be hoping that they would see sense.”
Mr McAuliffe said that when pricing was being put in place, “would you not just ring the two neighbouring counties who already have it in place and say, ' What are you charging?’”
Mr McAuliffe claimed that introducing the €1,400 fee contravenes EU legislation in relation to casual trading.
“It would be a lot of money for me,” sauna operator Sara Perslow told the .
Ms Perslow lives in Crosshaven and has been running a mobile, seasonal outdoor sauna at nearby Roberts Cove for the last four years.
“You have to have obligatory insurance on top of that, which is €3,800 at the moment; for some people, it is even higher. So that would be €5,200 a year,” she said.
Those costs would take Ms Perslow two months to cover, before factoring in the cost of wood and maintenance.
While she agrees that the legislation is a “good idea because it would guarantee her spot”, she is worried she would not make enough to support the additional levy.
Ms Perslow said business at her sauna was affected by the heatwave in late May as well as bad weather. She said a lack of food outlets and coffee shops in the vicinity has led to slow footfall and a drop in business.
She said the sauna has become a social outlet amid a loneliness epidemic, helping people to form friendships and connect with others.
Asked if she would pay the licence fee down the line, Ms Perslow said she would only do so if she could afford it, which is currently not the case.
“If business picks up, I am going to try to look for a private spot, but at the moment I am finding it hard to pay €1,400 with business being slow,” she said.
For Donna Duffield, paying the fee would guarantee her spot and prevent competition.
The Kinsale woman, who has a sauna business at Sandycove, said she does not mind paying the fee as it is a “lucrative business” and would provide more protection.
“I actually think that we should be charged, and I think that it's very fair at €1,400,” Ms Duffield said.
“I know it's more than other places, but Kinsale is a more lucrative place, whether that makes a difference.
“I do think that everybody needs to pay. If you go into Kinsale and you look at the rental charges of any business on any piece of land, you're looking at substantially more than that,” she said.
Ms Duffield said her main concern is the possibility of having to move saunas away from their trading areas at night. She said this was not logistically possible due to the narrow roads in the area.
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