Restaurants in Temple Bar have been issued with an outdoor dining ban by Dublin City Council.

While businesses in other parts of the city centre are being encouraged to set up outdoor dining facilities, those in the Temple Bar area have been told that they are not allowed to do so. Licences for outdoor seating had been issued prior to beginning of Level 5 restrictions but businesses have now been told that such set-ups can't return. DCC is quoted in the Irish Times as saying that licences were granted in September "as other businesses in the vicinity were closed and the council was under pressure to assist businesses in remaining open”. Concerns over access for emergency vehicles have also been cited as a reason for the ban. Martin Harte, Chief Executive of Temple Bar Company has called the decision "ludicrous" while independent councillor Mannix Flynn said that "Temple Bar has managed its business in an exemplary way throughout the pandemic and has not been fined for any infringements." He suggested that DCC should "let them put out the tables and chairs and demonstrate if they can manage things, and if they can’t, then take them away.” READ NEXT: Condé Nast includes Dublin spot in 2021 list of Best Bars and Restaurants in the World