This article is from page 22 of the 2012-09-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
A DRIVE to revitalise vacant buildings in Clare has stalled due a lack of interest from landlords, a meeting has heard. Co-ordinated by Ennis Town Council, Clare County Council and Ennis Chamber of Commerce, the Ennis Access to Spaces Initiative (EASI) aims to revitalise Ennis town centre by facilitating the use of unoccupied spaces for commercial, creative and community use. The scheme was launched in May. However a meeting yesterday heard that plans to implement similar schemes around the county have yet to take off. Majella MacNamara of Clare County Council’s Economic and Planning Development Section was speaking at a meeting of the Council’s Community, Enterprise, Tourism and Emergency Strategic Policy Committee (SPC). The issue arose during a presentation on the council’s Economic Development Strategy Action Plan. Ms MacNamara explained that it is one of the council’s objectives to develop Clare’s towns and villages. She said the main aims are the improvement of business works, infrastructure, signage, occupancy and business. The council is also investigating pilot schemes for improving retail activity in town centres. She explained that while there has been strong interest from the artistic community, “landlords have been slow to come forward”. The strategy outlines the council’s attempts to generate income from landbanks and to identify key strategic development sites in the county. The meeting heard that the council is also hoping to use Clare people living abroad to act as ambassadors for the county. High profile individuals are being sought to promote the interests of Clare to a wider international audience. Ms MacNamara told the meeting that the ambassadors could be living in any part of the world.