The centre of this 'once thriving' town in Tipperary is 'decaying'
'Urgent action is needed or we will lose even more businesses'
“Clonmel is on life support at the moment and it needs serious help and investment,” Deputy Mattie McGrath has stated in the Dáil.
Raising what he described as the need for a task force for the town, Deputy McGrath said that a once bustling, proud and thriving town had been left to deteriorate in recent years.
“Last year, it had the highest vacancy rate in Tipperary at 18.6%. This has deteriorated further in recent weeks and months. The entire area of Market Place is boarded up and there are numerous prime retail units on the main street that have been boarded up and left to decay.
“Last week saw the closure of yet another retail outlet, New Look, leaving another prime retail unit on the main street vacant.
"Many of the remaining retailers are struggling to hold on, with reduced footfall, higher rates - these went up again this year by 5% - the highest parking charges in the county, which is totally discriminatory against Clonmel; and huge issues involving anti-social behaviour. This has led to many people avoiding the town centre.
“On a daily basis, one can witness unfortunate souls struggling with drug addiction and hanging around the streets, which has led to a sense of fear and people avoiding the town centre.
“Urgent action is needed or we will lose even more businesses. There is huge employment out of town but the town centre is decaying. When we lost borough council status, we lost €20 million per annum.
“We have lost €200 million of investment in the town centre since 2014. Borough status will have to be restored. The town needs a whole-of-government approach to bring it back to its former glory. It cannot be ignored any longer,” he said.