Charlie Chawke’s contentious Box’d Coffee outdoor cafe enterprise located outside his Goat Bar and Grill in Goatstown has generated revenues of €478,191 over two years.
That’s according to new accounts for the operator of the Goat Bar and Grill, Mr Chawke’s Charjon Investments Ltd which show that the firm recorded post tax profits of €51,771 in the 12 months to the end of March last.
Revenues at the company decreased last year by 2% from €4.5m to €4.42m.
While Goat Bar and Grill revenues increased marginally from €4.2m to €4.24m, revenue from Box’d Coffee almost halved from €300,734 to €177,457 last year.
Numbers employed by Charjon increased by two to 78 as staff costs increased slightly to €2.06m. Accumulated profits totalled €2.96m.
Mr Chawke established Box’d Coffee during the Covid-19 pandemic and last year, Mr Chawke has lost his planning battle to secure planning retention for Box’d Coffee which involves the operation of an outdoor cafe in a repurposed shipping container and a range of ancillary elements at the site outside the pub.
This followed An Bord Pleanala refusing planning retention for Box’D Coffee and outdoor seating along with signage and a series of ancillary elements providing outdoor entertainment for pub customers including a large outdoor TV screen at The Goat.
However, Mr Chawke is now making a fresh bid to secure planning retention with a published planning notice confirming that a new planning retention application will be lodged in the coming days with An Bord Pleanala for the re-purposed shipping container housing the coffee shop
However, in its January 2024 decision, the board shared the view of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Co Council that the cumulative effect of the development would create a disorderly street-scape and would have a negative impact on the amenity of the local area.
In the split decision, the appeals board did uphold the council decision to grant planning retention to a beer garden structure known as Apres Skis along with a permitted kitchen for Fired Up Pizza.
The planning inspector in the case, Lorraine Dockery had recommended permission for Box’d Coffee where having visited the site, she was of the opinion that the impacts of the repurposed shipping container for use as a café/coffee on the visual amenity of the area “would not be so great as to warrant a refusal of permission”.
Ms Dockery said that “taken in conjunction with the marquee and outdoor seating, this offers a pleasant space to nearby residents to gather”.
Ms Dockery remarked: “Similar temporary structures are evident throughout the city, generally in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and generally they add to the vibrancy of such areas for a temporary period of time.”
Circle K Ireland told the appeals board the development will result in significant negative visual impact and undue impacts on residential amenity due to noise.
Circle K Ireland also contended that while the Covid pandemic may have provided the basis for the consideration of such uses and structures at a time of national emergency, it in no way provided justification for the continued use of the site in such a manner.
Speaking after the council refused a planning retention application for Box’d Coffee in 2022, Mr Chawke said: “We are in business to give a service and to give employment and that is what we are trying to do and I wish to God that we would be allowed to do it.”
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
