This article is from page 20 of the 2008-08-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
BUSINESSES are moving out of the Parnell Street area because of problems with parking, it has been claimed.
As one business re-located to the another part of the town this week, traders are saying that the shop was forced to relocate because of the dif- ficulties with parking caused by the work going on to secure the area against flooding.
CEO of Ennis Chamber of Com- merce, Triona McInerney said that traders are “struggling to cope espe- cially if they are in the type of busi- ness which requires people to carry things in and out of a premises. They need to have a car nearby in that case.”
McInerney said there is “huge pres- sure on parking. People are trying to
manage. There wasn’t a lot of park- ing in the area to begin with and the work that is going on has exaccer- bated the situation.”
She added, “It’s temporary and we have to live with it, but looking at having this situation continue for another year is not good.”
McInerney said that while some business people will re-locate rather than try to struggle on with the situa- tion, others who were already feeling the pinch have closed.
“T can think of six businesses who have closed up shop in the Parnell Street area in the last three months,’ she admitted.
“Some of them were having dif- ficulty already and in some cases, a drop-off in customers because of the parking difficulties may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back”.