Concern is being expressed that some parts of Ennis are missing out, despite a welcome increase in the number of businesses in the county town.
It follows a health check, carried out by Clare County Council, which has found that the commercial vacancy rate has dropped by 2% since 2016, indicating that business is going well in the town.
Clare County Council’s Planning Department carried out a Health Check of Ennis in August last, with the report now revealing an interesting insight into how the town is performing.
It was found that some 35% of the commercial properties in Ennis are occupied by retail services; with leisure services like pubs, restaurants and gyms making up 11%.
Financial and business services are also well established in Ennis, accounting for 7% of the total commercial floor space.
Overall, this equates to a 2% decrease in the town’s vacancy rate, which Ennis Fianna Fáil Councillor Pat Daly has welcomed, but he’s also concerned that the likes of Parnell Street – where he grew up – is losing out.
Looking ahead to 2020, the hope now is that health checks like this can be carried out in other towns around the county, to analyse where increased focus is needed.
Senior Planner with Clare County Council Brian McCarthy was involved in the health check in Ennis.
He says studies like this are an important indicator of the performance of the county overall
