A survey from Clare County Council has found that Ennis is ‘thriving’ as the social and cultural hub of the county.
The Council’s Planning Department conducted an Ennis Town Centre Retail Health Check last year, looking at occupancy rates in the town.
The survey was carried out last September and took into account the ground floor use of units in Ennis town centre.
Retail and retail services account for 35% of the total ground floor use of buildings within the county town, with leisure services such as restaurants, pubs and gyms making up 12% of ground floor usage in Ennis.
Financial and business services are also well established in the town, totalling 7.3% of bottom floor building space.
The occupancy rate within the town is 85% as of September 2021- remaining relatively constant when compared to previous years.
Despite the huge challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, retail occupancy has only dropped by one unit between 2020 and 2021.
There were 285 retail units in 2020, and 284 as of last September.
The Planning Department of Clare County Council are to conduct a further Health Check of Ennis town towards the end of the year in order to capture any changes in occupancy rates that may result from the latter stages of the pandemic and the subsequent period of recovery.
The local authority believe that commercial rates in the county town will improve in the near future, particularly in line with the Ennis 2040 plan.
You can hear more on this on Clare FM’s Morning Focus this Friday from 9am
