Administration

Merrion Square Tea Rooms Lease

Agenda #10November 2, 20263 speakers · 2 minutes

The subject was withdrawn and not discussed.

2′

minutes

The Labour Party0′

Fianna Fáil0′

Summary

AI-generated text

Report No. 232/2026 proposed a 10-year lease for the Merrion Square Tea Rooms in Merrion Square Park, Dublin 2. The Lord Mayor announced that item 10B has been withdrawn from the agenda and will be brought back to the full council in December, confirming again in this part of the meeting that item B has been removed and deferred.

Main issues

Councillor Flynn called the situation unacceptable, criticising the absence of the responsible official and describing a documentation received that day as «grossly unsatisfactory».
He described the tea rooms as a «grandiose spend on a vanity project» costing around 8 million euros while people in the city cannot afford a cup of tea and contrasted this with long-standing tenants unable to get basic repairs such as windows.
He called for a forensic audit of the whole project and for the CEO Richard Shakespeare to hold the responsible official to account or for Mr. Moore to consider his position; Councillor Lacey asked that the document be referred back to the area committee in advance of the city council, which was agreed.

The Merrion Square Tea Rooms are a new café and public toilet building that Dublin City Council is building in Merrion Square Park. The council first approved the project in November 2017. The building is about 362 sq m. It includes a dining area, a kitchen, bathrooms and baby-change facilities. The council hired property consultants Colliers to find a tenant. Disposing of council property by lease normally needs councillors' approval, which is why a report was put to the full council.

The project has run well over its original cost and timeline. The council sought bids in 2019 with an indicative cost of €4.27 million. Development costs are now estimated at €6.6 million to €7.5 million. The council says construction suffered an 18-month delay "arising from a formal contractual dispute". A 2024 council audit found consultant architects' fees had risen from €246,000 to €655,000. The council said this does not comply with national and EU procurement regulations.

Recent developments: the contractor's current programme forecasts completion in March 2027. Councillors were expected to approve a 10-year lease at an annual rent of €100,000. The proposed contract was withdrawn from the agenda on the afternoon of the meeting. The council said a review would be procured shortly, with a completion date of February 2027.

This matters because the project is a test of how the council controls public spending, procurement and value for money on capital projects. It also bears on how the council prioritises spending on city amenities.

Statements(2)

AI-generated text

MF

Mannix Flynn

The absence of the responsible official from the chamber is unacceptable given the controversy surrounding the tea rooms project. The documentation received that day was «grossly unsatisfactory» — providing no meaningful information, «like a list of shopping». The project amounts to a «grandiose spend on a vanity project» costing approximately 8 million euros while people in the city cannot afford a cup of tea, and long-standing tenants who have paid their rent for 60–70 years cannot get basic repairs such as a window from Dublin City Council. A forensic audit of the entire project is needed, and the CEO Mr. Richard Shakespeare should hold the responsible official to account, or Mr. Moore should consider his position.

DL

Dermot LaceyThe Labour Party

Without addressing all of Councillor Flynn's comments, the document should be referred back to the area committee in advance of the city council, as the issues can be better dealt with at that level.

Administration

Merrion Square Tea Rooms Lease

Agenda #10November 2, 20263 speakers · 2 minutes

The subject was withdrawn and not discussed.

2′

minutes

The Labour Party0′

Fianna Fáil0′

Summary

AI-generated text

Report No. 232/2026 proposed a 10-year lease for the Merrion Square Tea Rooms in Merrion Square Park, Dublin 2. The Lord Mayor announced that item 10B has been withdrawn from the agenda and will be brought back to the full council in December, confirming again in this part of the meeting that item B has been removed and deferred.

Main issues

Councillor Flynn called the situation unacceptable, criticising the absence of the responsible official and describing a documentation received that day as «grossly unsatisfactory».
He described the tea rooms as a «grandiose spend on a vanity project» costing around 8 million euros while people in the city cannot afford a cup of tea and contrasted this with long-standing tenants unable to get basic repairs such as windows.
He called for a forensic audit of the whole project and for the CEO Richard Shakespeare to hold the responsible official to account or for Mr. Moore to consider his position; Councillor Lacey asked that the document be referred back to the area committee in advance of the city council, which was agreed.

The Merrion Square Tea Rooms are a new café and public toilet building that Dublin City Council is building in Merrion Square Park. The council first approved the project in November 2017. The building is about 362 sq m. It includes a dining area, a kitchen, bathrooms and baby-change facilities. The council hired property consultants Colliers to find a tenant. Disposing of council property by lease normally needs councillors' approval, which is why a report was put to the full council.

The project has run well over its original cost and timeline. The council sought bids in 2019 with an indicative cost of €4.27 million. Development costs are now estimated at €6.6 million to €7.5 million. The council says construction suffered an 18-month delay "arising from a formal contractual dispute". A 2024 council audit found consultant architects' fees had risen from €246,000 to €655,000. The council said this does not comply with national and EU procurement regulations.

Recent developments: the contractor's current programme forecasts completion in March 2027. Councillors were expected to approve a 10-year lease at an annual rent of €100,000. The proposed contract was withdrawn from the agenda on the afternoon of the meeting. The council said a review would be procured shortly, with a completion date of February 2027.

This matters because the project is a test of how the council controls public spending, procurement and value for money on capital projects. It also bears on how the council prioritises spending on city amenities.

Statements(2)

AI-generated text

MF

Mannix Flynn

The absence of the responsible official from the chamber is unacceptable given the controversy surrounding the tea rooms project. The documentation received that day was «grossly unsatisfactory» — providing no meaningful information, «like a list of shopping». The project amounts to a «grandiose spend on a vanity project» costing approximately 8 million euros while people in the city cannot afford a cup of tea, and long-standing tenants who have paid their rent for 60–70 years cannot get basic repairs such as a window from Dublin City Council. A forensic audit of the entire project is needed, and the CEO Mr. Richard Shakespeare should hold the responsible official to account, or Mr. Moore should consider his position.

DL

Dermot LaceyThe Labour Party

Without addressing all of Councillor Flynn's comments, the document should be referred back to the area committee in advance of the city council, as the issues can be better dealt with at that level.