Setback for Greenway coffee shop plan in Streamstown

Plans to open a coffee shop on the Old Rail Trail Greenway in Streamstown have suffered a setback with the news that an operator who was considering running the business has decided not to proceed with it.

Earlier this year, the Athlone Moate Municipal District sought expressions of interest from companies or individuals looking to operate a coffee shop at the former Streamstown railway station.

In an update in early May, the local authority said it hoped the business would be open to the public in the near future, possibly as soon as the June bank holiday.

However, in response to a question from Cllr Tom Farrell last week, council director of services Barry Kehoe indicated that the plan had run into difficulty. “The people we were talking to about opening the cafe in Streamstown have withdrawn,” he told the June meeting of the Athlone Moate district. “We don’t have an operator for it at the moment.”

He said the council was open to receiving new expressions of interest in the coffee shop, and it was carrying out some preparatory work to ensure the business would be “ready to go” once an operator was found.

Cllr Farrell suggested that the local authority again advertises for catering companies or individuals who might be willing to operate the cafe.

“I think it’s important that we would get someone to take it up,” he said.