Traders warn retail core of Loughrea is under threat
The business community in Loughrea have expressed concerns about their future after a survey revealed that there are 31 vacant units in and around the town centre.
The number of empty properties has been disclosed in a planning file as town centre businesses come out in opposition to a medical centre being transformed into a sports shop in the shopping centre on the outskirts of the town.
In the submission to the planning application before Galway County Council, it is stated that the retail trade in the centre of Loughrea is coming under pressure and much of this arises from the development of Loughrea Shopping Centre which is not in the heart of the town.
Traders in Loughrea say that they object to the further intensification of development, which was provided in 2008, as it will further impact on the established town centre.
Retailers have told planners that not alone is the shopping centre located outside the town centre, it is also beyond walking distance from the centre and this exacerbates its impact in pulling away activity from the business core.
Last month a planning application was submitted by Greenstream ULC for the change of use of a retail unit at Loughrea Shopping Centre from a medical centre to a sports goods outlet. There are also applications to sub-divide a couple of other units at this location, which are also being opposed by the traders.
Agents on behalf of the traders made a submission to county planners saying that they are greatly concerned about the impact the proposed development, along with the other two applications which have also been submitted, will have on retailing in the heart of Loughrea town.
In fact, references have been made to both Ballinasloe and Athenry, where it is claimed that the core retail areas have “suffered quite catastrophic decline” in business activity.
“The retail centre of Loughrea is coming under pressure and much of that pressure arises from this development (shopping centre) which is not in the heart of the town and not close enough to develop a mutually beneficial synergy with the town centre. It operates an independent and separate shopping area and pulls business away from the town.
“While the centre of Loughrea is still a vibrant area, there is a worrying trend of vacancy. My clients (the traders) have conducted a survey of the town centre. This shows 31 empty units with an estimated floor area of 8,000 square metres. It is not exclusively retail but there is a very considerable retail element in that vacancy figure,” said Stephen Dowds Associates, planning consultants.
They go on to say that the retail planning guidelines recommend ‘town centre or ‘edge of centre’ as being the preferred options, but they state that the shopping centre does not fit either bill. It is claimed that anyone who shops in the centre will stay there and not walk into the town centre.
A decision on the planning application to Galway County Council on this proposed development is due within the next week.