This article is from page 3 of the 2007-11-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
THE streets of Ennis will be off lim- its to cars in the run up to Christmas, despite concerns over the impact on retail activity in the town.
Abbey Street and O’Connell Street will be vehicle-free on Saturday/Sun- day 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23 of De- cember. The streets will remain pe- destrianised during Christmas Eve.
Eddie Power, Ennis Town Clerk said that the decision to pedestrianise the streets was taken following consid-
eration of submissions received and that, as part of the statutory process, gardai were also consulted.
Mr Power said, “Ennis Town Coun- cil will erect signage around the town indicating that Abbey Street and O’Connell Street will be pedes- WUTTIDRoOD
“In relation to parking, it should be noted that the new multi-storey car park at Dunnes Stores has resulted in an additional 250 spaces in the town. Other car parks are conveniently lo- cated adjacent to the town centre and
are easily accessible.”
Ennis Chamber of Commerce sup- ports the temporary introduction. But, in a statement, the chamber said the completion of the inner re- lief road must take place before the policy could be contemplated on a long-term basis.
The chamber has called for free parking to be introduced on the days set aside in December and for extra parking to be provided in town cen- tre schools.
Concern over the impact of pe-
destrianisation stems from a recent footfall survey commissioned by En- nis Chamber to examine the impact of the policy on retail activity in the town centre.
The footfall survey conducted on Car Free Day and October 6 showed a significant and proportional in- crease in Abbey Street and O’Connell Street.
However, researchers conditioned results with the views that on Car Free Day favourable weather condi- tions had an impact on figures and
that people brought more children into the town centre.
Welcoming the move, Mayor ‘lom- my Brennan said pedestrianisation would improve safety for increased numbers of shoppers.
Businessman Oliver Moylan, a vo- cal critic of pedestrianisation in En- nis and of the level of commercial rates imposed on businesses in the town centre, said the policy would depress activity and drive shoppers towards large-scale retail develop- ments.