Planned levy of €1,400 per unit is six times higher than elsewhere.

CORK County Council is planning to levy new charges for sauna operators which are six times higher than those in neighbouring counties.

The local authority is in the process of regularising the operations of saunas and vendors at beaches and piers, similar to what has been implemented in Kerry, Waterford and Clare.

Carrigaline Municipal District is the first in the county to adopt new byelaws, with plans to implement them across the seven other municipal districts shortly.

It means sauna owners and operators will have to fork out a hefty €1,400 per annum – a huge tariff compared to Clare County Council (€240), Kerry County Council (€250) and Waterford (€350).

One West Cork sauna operator, who did not wish to be named at this stage, said the figure is not on par with neighbouring counties and would have a significant impact on growing number of operators in West Cork.

‘It seems exorbitant but we will wait and see what happens in West Cork if these byelaws are implemented,’ he said.

Under the new byelaws the council has the authority to limit the number, type, size and locations of sauna units permitted within a designated sauna service area.

A Cork County Council spokesperson told The Southern Star that the local authority has recently adopted the  Casual Provision of Services Byelaws in designated areas within the Carrigaline MD, which will cover the provision of saunas in specified areas as well as casual traders such as coffee docks or chip vans.

‘The bays will be advertised shortly and applications will then be assessed with bays awards to the most suitable candidates. The process for adoption of similar bye-laws across the other seven Municipal Districts – including Bandon-Kinsale and West Cork – will commence once the process is completed in the Carrigaline Municipal District.’

Cllr Audrey Buckley (FF), who lives near Crosshaven, said that details and forms of the new byelaws have gone out to all the vendors in the Carrigaline Municipal District.

‘There are two sets of byelaws, one covering trades and one covering services, and it will cost providers of services like saunas €1,400 per annum per location,’ said Cllr Buckley.

‘People won’t be able to sublet. It’s about protecting the businesses and the application process is starting now. We expect them to be in place in two to three weeks.’

She added that two community wardens will be checking licences and gardaí will be able to enforce the law once the byelaws have been adopted.

‘Each trader will have to provide their own bins which will help the local Tidy Towns volunteers who have been down cleaning beaches,’ noted Cllr Buckley.

She noted the beaches were ‘heaving’ during the extreme hot weather this week and she said she is delighted that several beaches including Churchbay, Rocky Bay and Roberts Cove, are getting large 1,000L green bins this week. Portaloos have also been installed at Fountainstown until the works on the new public convenience are completed.