This article is from page 13 of the 2006-09-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
CLARE County Council is making moves to provide relief to entrepreneurs unable to afford massive rents for commercial spaces in Clare’s rural towns.
At the Council’s Special Policy Committee on Economic Development yesterday, chairman, Richard Nagle (FF) said that rents up to €100,000 a year are being sought from young entrepreneurs.
Cllr Nagle said: “They cannot afford these leases and that is why the Council has moved to make sites available.
Senior Planner, Liam Conneally said the Council passed a motion at its July meeting to acquire land in towns to provide sites to facilitate the start-up of small business. As a result, he has since been liaising with area engineers in the electoral areas in a bid to identify sites and the Council has also been in contact with Shannon Development to establish where vacant commercial space exists.
“The council wishes to work proactively in this issue and that includes adding lands to be zoned for commercial use. Purchasing lands will be a matter for the council,” he said.
SPC member, PJ Ryan asked was the Council proposing to subsidise the rent or sale of sites.
In response, Director for Economic Development, Bernadette Kinsella said the council was at an early stage in this process and a funding mechanism had to be decided.
Cllr Patrick Keane (FF) said: “I can’t envisage the Council subsidising sites. The Council doesn’t have the funds. It is not the Council’s job to provide subsidies. The Council can zone the land for commercial use”.
Cllr Nagle – who brought the motion before the Council’s July meeting – said that to charge €100,000 a year was totally impractical and occupied industrial sites were needed to keep small towns alive.
“The only way sites can be leased is that if they are at a reasonable cost. What we are talking about here are one and two-person businesses,” he added.