By inviting public tenders for a new pub and restaurant at the Malahide Railway Station, CIE is offering a rare commercial opportunity to develop a licensed premises in the Dublin area.
Located in the centre of this popular north Co Dublin village, the venue is to be developed in similar manner to O'Reilly's of Tara Street or The Bloody Stream at Howth DART Station. New pub opportunities in Dublin are limited by strict planning laws and while it is possible to buy rural licences and transfer them to urban areas, it has become more difficult to find a suitably located premises in which to hang the new licence.
The Malahide proposal calls for the development of a seven-day licensed railway refreshment room, the fifth in a chain of railway station commercial ventures by the state-run transport company.
"We do not intend to influence the market by offering a guide price," Peter Cunningham of CIE explains. "However, we expect the offer to come in two parts; a guaranteed base rent and a share of gross turnover as rental. We would expect such offers to be financially aggressive." CIE is also seeking architectural proposals with original design features. The tender date for financial and architectural proposals is Thursday, March 8th.
On offer at Malahide is a section of the existing building plus an adjoining undeveloped plot. Total floor space will be 4,566 sq ft; 829 sq ft will be in the brick station building which dates from the 1850s and retains such traditional features as a pitched slate roof and ornate fireplaces. The remaining 3,737 sq ft are in the adjoining plot with frontage on to the Dublin Road, with the potential for a two-storey building which would give the new premises a very high profile from the outset.
O'Reilly's at Tara Street DART Station was the first CIE pub venture and this city centre establishment has been a success with commuters since it opened in 1994. Development of The Bloody Stream at Howth DART Station followed a year later, when this award-winning pub and restaurant opened its doors in 1995.
The redevelopment of Heuston Station and Connolly Station afforded two further opportunities, with The Galway Hooker opening at Heuston in 1997 and Oslo at Connolly in 1999. At one time, 25 railway refreshment room licences existed around the state; however as railway business declined the licences lapsed or were transferred. However this is an area of the business that CIE appears keen to develop further.
Malahide, with a population of around 15,000, enjoys an upmarket profile, not unlike Dalkey on the south side. Residential property prices are among the highest in Dublin and Malahide boasts the original Millionaire's Row residential development. At present, the village only has three pubs, but there are also two hotel hostelries and a number of sportsclub bars in the area.
