’Poor’ shop frontage in Limerick City having negative effect on public realm

COUNCIL resources have been sought to ensure that landlords and building owners upkeep the shopfronts of their vacant buildings in the city...

COUNCIL resources have been sought to ensure that landlords and building owners upkeep the shopfronts of their vacant buildings in the city centre to support the quality of the public realm.

Proposing the motion at a recently monthly meeting of the Metropolitan District, Independent councillor Maria Donoghue reminded the local authority of the recent notification that Limerick has one of the highest rates of commercial vacancy in Munster.

“In addition to the more obvious negative social impacts of this, a lack of care, lack of interest reduction in passive surveillance, and then you’re starting to attract anti-social behaviour – this has a huge impact on adjacent properties, including businesses and homes,” Cllr Donoghue said.

She told the Council executive of her wish to see the local authority develop guidelines for vacant commercial premises to minimise the negative impacts on the public realm.

“We need to place agency back on building owners and landlords to uphold their property in maintaining public realm. Plastic signage, broken, discolored signage, just have it either maintained or taken down,” she said.

Aontú councillor Sarah Beasley seconded this motion, hitting out that the city centre shop fronts leave a lot to be desired.

“I just think businesses should have enforcement rules that are actually enforced, because we’re doing great work in the city with the street cleaners and everything else, but the shop fronts look very poor,” she said.

In response, the Council said that the protection and enhancement of shopfronts in the city centre is an integral element of creating a vibrant and attractive public realm.

“The Planning Department acknowledges that the enforcement of planning legislation, and use of other powers are important mechanisms in ensuring that high quality standards are maintained. The Planning Department endeavours to achieve this within current resources assigned,” senior planner Nuala O’Connell explained.

“The specific call for enforcement officers to manage shopfronts of vacant buildings in Limerick City would require additional staffing and financial commitments through the forthcoming Workforce Plan and future budget allocations and is therefore not a matter that can be progressed through a notice of motion in the absence of these requirements.”