Dublin City Council has today issued a tender for a market operator to bring additional street traders and vibrancy to Moore Street.
The street, which was first established in the 18th century, is a designated Casual Trading Area and has historically been one of the key market and trading areas in the city.
The area has declined in recent years for a variety of reasons, including changes in buying habits and competition from street markets elsewhere.
In 2021 Dublin City Council’s Moore St Expert Group issued a report, under the auspices of the Minister for State Malcolm Noonan’s Moore St Advisory Group.
One of the key actions of this report was to bring additional traders, vibrancy and variety to street trading offering on Moore St to complement the existing street traders.
The tender for an initial period of one year requires a commercial operator to operate and manage a market on Moore St from Thursday through Sunday between the hours of 9:30am and 10pm.
This should complement the existing 17 traders on the street who operate Monday through Saturday from 9:30am to 6.30pm.
The EU tender document says the contract for the commercial operator can be renewed for a maximum of three years.
Part of the responsibilities will be to provide power and to clean up each day. Alcohol and tobacco products will not be allowed.
The expert group report, which is being used as a reference document, pointed to a number of issues on the street including "extreme" anti-social behaviour in recent years.
Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland said: “Moore St. is a key socio-economic area in Dublin City that has not performed well in recent times. I hope that the successful tenderer will bring a new energy to the street and make it a must visit location in the North Inner City for citizens and visitors alike.
"I look forward to this initiative being fully implemented and showcasing an important positive and historic aspect of the city.”
Meanwhile Chair of the Moore St. Expert Group, Cllr. Donna Cooney said: “It is great to see this step being taken by Dublin City Council following on from the hard work of the expert group.
"This shows the commitment of Dublin City Council to retain Moore St. as a trading area into the future and a respect for the unique history of this area. It is hoped this operator will be in place in early 2022 and that this initiative will prove successful.”
For more information and to view the tender click here
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