Fears have been raised that Louth County Council may be looking to end casual trading in Dundalk town centre.
The Market Square area of the town, in particular, has been a place for small traders to do business for over a century while other areas of the county such as Carlingford could also suffer if such a policy change was enforced.
The matter was raised recently by local TD Declan Breathnach, who has sought clarification regarding casual trading and market trading rights in the county.
The Fianna Fáil TD said: “While I have read the Casual Trading Bye Laws 1995 and Schedules attached I have not received confirmation of when they were implemented.
“I have received a number of complaints that the County Council want to get rid of casual traders and are not granting Casual Trading Licences. Market Traders have been part of the fabric of our towns for many years and many of these stall holders are trading under historical trading rights that have existed for many years.
“While I am acutely aware of the conflict of interest that exists with those paying high rates and who operate with large overheads, most towns have historical market trading rights which have not been extinguished and therefore it is unfair for the Gardai to enforce market traders to close and move on.
“I will be having a meeting shortly with a senior member of Louth County Council to discuss this issue and hopefully reach a compromise to satisfy all interested parties,” said Breathnach.
