Carrick-on-Suir traders worried over losing customers submit parking petition to council

A petition of 6,676 signatures seeking retention of existing parking facilities on Carrick-on-Suir’s Main Street was presented to Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Mark Fitzgerald last Thursday morning. 

The handover of the petition by Main Street traders Maurice Whelan and Paul O’Sullivan on behalf of the Main Street Business Initiative took place at Carrick Town Hall a few hours before the January meeting of the District’s councillors.

The MBI that represents a group of traders, businesses, property owners and residents of Main Street and some adjacent streets, is campaigning to save 21 parking spaces facing removal under Carrick Regeneration Scheme facelift of the street and restoration of six parking spaces removed during the Covid pandemic.

Mr O’Sullivan of Splash & Chat laundrette and internet café, said they reiterated their position to Cllr Fitzgerald that without free flowing parking on the street potential customers will move their business elsewhere. “No matter where, business thrives on parking and without parking you have no business. You have a horse with no cart,” he said.

Mr Whelan of Whelan’s Butchers said the petition showed the MBI had a mandate for its campaign. He stressed retaining parking spaces on Main Street was the group’s only agenda.

He said regular customers buying say €200 worth of meat need to park near the shop due to the weight of carrying it back to their cars. Both he and Mr O’Sullivan also rely heavily on passing trade where people pop in and out for quick purchases and business, which they fear will be lost if so many parking spaces are removed.  

“I haven't seen one person coming into my shop who is for taking away the parking spaces from the street," said Mr Whelan.

The council says it’s creating a new 33-space car park at Stable Lane and 10 extra spaces at Strand Lane Car Park. But Mr Whelan and Mr O’Sullivan were adamant that retaining ample on-street parking is vital to the future of MBI members’ businesses.

The MBI petition was raised by Labour Cllr Michael Brennan at the end of the Carrick Municipal District meeting later that day.
Cllr Fitzgerald confirmed receiving the petition but said he hadn’t yet had a chance to look at it.

He didn’t believe it was a matter for discussion at the meeting and informed Cllr Brennan, as “a point of clarification” that it was “courtesy” among councillors for the chairperson to be notified beforehand by an elected member if they wish to raise an issue at a council meeting.

Cllr Brennan requested copies of the complaints the MBI submitted to Government and State agencies concerning the Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Scheme’s planning and funding application.

Carrick MD Director of Services Brian Beck responded that the Council hadn’t received copies of the complaints while Cllr Fitzgerald reiterated that the Council had only just received the petition and must be given a chance to sit down and examine it.

Cllr Brennan said the MBI was looking to engage with the Council again and suggested mediation to resolve the dispute. He expressed concern about what would happen if the Planning Regulator made a finding against the council and pointed out the MBI was willing to withdraw its complaints if an agreed compromise solution was found.

Cllr Fitzgerald responded that he wanted the final say on this. He said the District’s staff had done their best to engage with the MBI. Referring to the Regeneration Scheme’s planning process, he argued the time for the group’s members to engage with the Council was two and a half years ago.

“I know the staff are trying to come up with a workable solution going forward. The whole point of this was to encourage people into the Main Street when we started this process three years ago. I am closing the meeting at that,” he added.

On Monday, the MBI sent to Carrick MD senior officials, the complaint it submitted to the Office of the Planning Regulator and correspondence it received from that office. The group also sent correspondence it received from Department of Rural & Community Development concerning the complaint submitted to that body.

The MBI told the officials its members are “amenable” to a compromise solution being found and are “happy to liaise with a third party intermediary if facilitated”.