*Parnell Street.
STREETS in Ennis town centre would make national headlines if ‘to let’ signs were placed on empty first and second floor buildings, a county councillor has claimed.
An audit on the amount of empty retail units within the town has been sought by Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF). This piece of work can “establish potential opportunities in conjunction with property owners in having unlettable sites converted into residential units”.
Senior executive planner with Clare County Council, Candace Ingram confirmed they are planning “to undertake a ground floor use survey of Ennis town centre which will include recording any vacant units”.
Carmel Greene, senior executive officer outlined, “The Derelict sites Team have engaged with a number of property owners in the Ennis Town Centre and they are at various levels of engagement”. She explained, “Where the property is considered derelict and there is no engagement, the Team serve the required notices under the Derelict Sites Act, 1990 and those that are then on the Derelict sites register will be liable to a levy of 7% of the value of the property each year until it is rendered non-derelict. In addition, there are a number of properties subject to the Compulsory Purchase process at the present time”.
Speaking at a meeting of the Ennis MD, Cllr O’Callaghan detailed that he tabled the motion following discussions with auctioneers and property owners. He admitted, “I’m concerned with a steady increase in empty properties”. He continued, “I strongly believe that property owners should be incentivised and supported. Like many successful towns and cities, Ennis must embrace town centre living. I accept the ground floor residential will not be appropriate to Abbey St and O’Connell St but I believe there is a significant opportunity for all of Barrack St, Mill Rd, Clare Rd and the stretch from Parnell St from Arc Cinema to the Mill Rd”.
According to Cllr O’Callaghan, a “prominent auctioneer” informed him, “if we placed a to let sign on all first and second floor buildings in the town centre that are unoccupied we’d make national headlines”. The Kildysart native noted that a Parnell St property was sold at private auction but had planning refused and has been listed for sale again. “Areas where commercial units vacant for more than two to three years should be considered for residential conversion,” he said. “We have a real opportunity, people are struggling to get a home, we turned properties in Limerick back to residential and it was successful”.
Seconding the motion, Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) commented, “it is a straight forward motion which makes nothing but sense. We have dereliction at the heart of Ennis, we can paint up all the roads and businesses but if we have derelict buildings it takes away from what we are trying to achieve”. More pressure could be placed on property owners “to release and rent out buildings if not using them”.
Public realm works have not helped the current derelict state of Ennis, Cllr Pat Daly (FF) maintained. He recalled visiting Clonakilty ten years ago when dereliction was high “but it is fabulous now”. He added, “There’s not too many empty properties in Ennis, the road works didn’t help businesses, we should work on it”.
Some units have been derelict “since Pat (Daly) grew up in the shop, some of them are gone so bad that I don’t think the €70,000 grant would fix them,” Cllr Antoinette Baker Bashua (FF) remarked. “The top of O’Connell St is an eyesore, , it doesn’t look right, we’re making our town look very nice but it can’t be very nice when wood is rotting on a certain section”.
Mayor of the Ennis MD, Cllr Mary Howard (FG) felt, “We need to look differently at how we convert these apartments. Carmel and the dereliction team have done amazing work”. She spoke of her love for travel and staying in Air BnBs while voicing agreement with Cllr Baker Bashua, “I live in an old house and it is a money pit once you start doing work”. Cllr Howard said, “In Ennis at night you used not meet a sinner but now you do. Everyone wants to downsize, it is an alternative, you are near everything and within walking distance of the shop”.
