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Will Pearse Square, Fermoy get designated as a casual trading area? Pictured are Pana Breads, who ran a stall recently in conjunction with the Fermoy Arts Festival.

There's a move afoot to have Pearse Square in Fermoy designated a casual trading area. The move, if approved, would allow artisan food and craft markets, of the type set up there at Christmas and during the recent Arts Festival, to become a more regular feature at weekends.

Councillors Noel McCarthy and Tadhg O'Donovan are behind the initiative. Cllr McCarthy is bringing a motion before next week's town council meeting seeking support. "We hope it will be one of the final acts of Fermoy Town Council," Cllr. McCarthy told The Avondhu this week. "Otherwise there could be a lengthy delay in getting this done or it might never happen."

BENEFIT TO TOWN

Cllr O'Donovan agreed. "The fear is, if it's not done under this council the square will never see such designation," he said. "Under no circumstances would it have been considered before, but it has proven such a success that now is the right time to go for this."

Cllr McCarthy said businesses can see the benefit of having a market operate in the centre of the town and businesses in the square are in favour of the move. It's why the impetus is with the town council to act before they are abolished in May and enshrine the designation.

While they are optimistic, believing the motion will have the support of their town council colleagues, they point to Bantry, where there was a long running dispute over casual trading, as a reason for caution. Bye-laws to regulate casual trading were introduced there last December by Cork County Council.

The organisers of Fermoy Artisan Food and Craft Market have been operating at weekends over the winter from the garden centre area of Toss Bryans. They are extremely grateful to Tom Bryan for allowing them to use his premises as it allowed them to operate regardless of weather. They've been seeking a long term venue for the market for some time.

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