Public can now access Belvedere cafe without paying entrance fee

The controversial decision to ban people from visiting the cafe at Belvedere House unless they pay the entrance fee has been reversed.

Members of the public can now visit the cafe, which was recently taken over by Campbell Catering Ltd, a subsidiary of the global catering firm Aramark, which also owns the Avoca chain, without having to pay the €8 entrance fee.

The decision taken earlier this year that anyone who wanted to use the cafe could only do so if they paid the entrance was roundly criticised by councillors from the Mullingar area.

The news that people can now once again visit the cafe without having to fork out the entry fee was welcomed by elected representatives at the recent meeting, where Belvedere manager Stephen Masterson addressed the council.

Mr Masterson also revealed that the number of visitors to Belvedere is expected to exceed 140,000 this year, well up on pre-Covid figures. Belvedere’s annual income is expected to be in the region of €430,000.

The decision to allow the public to access the cafe with paying the entrance fee has been welcomed by Cllr Ken Glynn on social media.

The Fianna Fail man said that he was "pleased to see common sense has prevailed following calls from a number of Cllrs including myself".