It’s claimed that figures which show a high number of commercial vacancies in Clare’s main towns aren’t representative of the reality on the ground.
The comments come as new figures show Kilrush has the highest vacancy rates in Munster, and the third highest of any town in Ireland.
The latest GeoDirectory figures show that Clare’s commercial vacancy rates, at 14.7%, 1.2% higher than the national average.
The number is on the up for both the county as a whole, and for Clare’s main towns.
In Kilrush, nearly a quarter of businesses are found to be vacant, while Shannon is close behind.
Vacancy rates in Ennis are close to 20% and all towns are in the top five in Munster.
Kilrush Councillor Ian Lynch has raised concern about the figures but isn’t sure that the figure for the town is representative of the situation on the ground.
He expects the number of vacancies to fall before the next count.
In Shannon, the figures come on the same week it emerged that Clare County Council rejected an application by ALDI to construct a new Supermarket there.
Like others, local Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn says the lack of a Main Street in Shannon, which this development could have opened up, would have been of benefit.
Meanwhile, Ennis area Fianna Fáil Councillor Clare Colleran Molloy says high business rates could be deterring people from opening a business in the County town.
