This article is from page 46 of the 2012-02-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 46 JPG
ALLOWING artists occupy vacant buildings in Ennis to create and exhibit their work would add greatly to the vibrancy and image of the county capital, while at the same time guarding against vandalism and ensuring that many prime units don’t become derelict eyesores.
That’s the view of Clare County Council enterprise officer, Majella McNamara, who in throwing the weight of Clare local government behind Ennis Access to Space Initiative (EASI) has appealed to landlords to embrace the concept for enhancing the visual landscape of Ennis.
“From the point of view of landlords, we would encourage you to become involved because there isn’t really anything to lose in it for yourselves,” said Ms McNamara.
“You get to have something vital going on in your building and potential tenants can also see your building has many uses for it that might not have been considered before.
“We would encourage you all to get involved for the various different reasons, but really to revitalise the town and show that different uses can be made of the buildings,” she added.
In outlining the Clare County Council vision for EASI, Ms McNamara revealed that the local authority had “looked at a number of different schemes that might be suitable for addressing the problem in Ennis with regard to vacant properties and also to meet the demand for artists for space in the town.
“From a public perspective, this would take away some of the eyesores from the streets of Ennis and bring some vibrancy to the town. This initiative is very much about facilitating the needs of artists and helping the landlords who currently have vacant properties to add a sense of vibrancy and occupancy to their buildings.
“For the point of view of artists, craft workers and other creative people – you get to use the building to have a space in which to work and to exhibit your creative work. You also get an opportunity to contribute to the vibrancy of the town – for the people who live here, for the people who come to shop and visit, for tour- ists.
“It doesn’t look very good if buildings are vacant. One of the other aspects of the properties is that there is an increase in value to the buildings if they’re occupied. They aren’t as well maintained if they are vacant because there’s nobody in them and there’s no income.
“There’s more of an encouragement to maintain the building if they are occupied. Having the building occupied helps protect it against vandalism,” Ms McNamara added.