Mayo’s town centres under pressure

Mayo’s town centres under pressure


Off the fence
Rob Murphy

Across Ireland, town centres are under pressure in their bid to win over consumers. In Mayo, almost every town centre is involved in a very intense battle with alternative trading centres sitting on their doorstep.
Their showdown is with the numerous out of town developments that are positioned neatly on the fringes of communities, offering free parking and less hassle as a result.
The average number of vacant commercial properties in Ireland stands at 11 per cent. The figure in Mayo is well above that at 14 per cent with Claremorris, at 18 per cent, topping the pile and neighbouring Ballinrobe not far behind.
The fair playing field requested by businesses in towns like Ballinrobe and Claremorris is centred around a request for local authorities to provide one hour free parking in these towns with some of the funds lost to be recouped by slight increases to the second hour charge.
Moreover, the business communities in these towns contend that such a change in policy will lead to the sort of footfall increase that can begin to reverse the trend of business closures and see new business emerge, bringing substantial rate revenue for local authorities.
The competitive advantage is clear when it comes to parking and the business communities in the south Mayo towns are pleading with authorities to help facilitate that fair contest in their battle to provide consumers with a viable and attractive alternative to the multi-nationals.
Parking charges are decreasing the average time spent in town centres by people in rural Ireland. The pleasure of meeting the local traders or chatting to friends and neighbours while going about daily chores is being lost.
Towns emerged historically around markets but markets have never being just about trading. They are key to the social fabric of large communities where shopping is just one part of the experience. The character and history to these trading hubs does not have to collapse. 
This is not a call for special protection for the corner shop or the specialty goods store. The consumer will ultimately dictate the faith of these enterprises and that is the accepted reality of a free market society.
Yet there is immense confidence among businesses in Mayo and beyond that we can compete with large multinationals, on price, service, convenience and long standing presence within a community. They just need a chance to get a foothold. The economic viability of the traditional town centres is up in the air at the moment. Businesses within these trading hubs are being asked by consumers and councils to compete both on price and service. Their answer: “No problem just give us a fair playing field”.

Rob Murphy is a journalist from Ballinrobe.His family run Murphy’s Centra on Ballinrobe’s Cornmarket.