RE-OPENING OF ENNISCORTHY IS MAIN PRIORITY
ENNISCORTHY and District Chamber of Commerce has a long and distinguished history of service to the town’s business community and to the promotion of cultural, social and commercial activities across the centre of County Wexford.
The Chamber has a strong representative membership among all sectors of the local community and with membership continuing to grow, the Chamber is recognised as the authoritative voice of those it represents.
While continuously working for the betterment of members and for the community in which we all live, work and play, not every member of the Chamber, or the general public, is aware of the contribution we make in helping promote all that is good in Enniscorthy town and district.
Through this new weekly column in ‘ The Guardian’ Newspaper, we hope to rectify that omission and to keep all members fully informed of events and happenings within the Chamber going forward.
Our primary objective at present is the re-opening of Enniscorthy for business after the Covid 19 lockdown. With that objective in mind, we are working closely with Ger Mackey, Enniscorthy Town and District Manager and with the members of Enniscorthy Municipal Authority.
Every effort is being made to restore commercial activity to pre Covid levels and great progress has been made in helping retailers get back up and running.
The Chamber, together with Ger Mackey and other representative business bodies in the town and district, have been meeting on an almost weekly basis and have agreed a series of measures which, when implemented, will allow for restaurant owners and publicans trade in outdoor designated areas in and around the town centre. We have consulted with most of the interests involved and the consensus of opinion is that what is proposed will certain help re-establish important trade links within the town and district.
To allow for on-street trading, certain areas of Enniscorthy will be pedestrianised each evening from 7 p.m. until 12 midnight with traffic diversions being put in place. Castle Street and the Market Square, from the Murphy Floods junction to Castle Hill, will be closed to traffic and strict pedestrianisation will also apply during the working day in Rafter Street and Slaney Street after agreement is reached with traders on a time frame for this to happen.
Much of the public realm in Enniscorthy is being given a facelift, town centre streets are being deep cleaned and a Municipal Authority backed painting scheme for local shop owners is being introduced. Public flower beds at roundabouts and along certain thoroughfares are being tended to and festive lighting is being provided in certain areas in order to create a better trading atmosphere. All this is being done to improve the town image and to help with creating the right image for people to shop in Enniscorthy.
By now most, if not all, town traders will have received a copy of the Government’s ‘Return to Work Safely’ Protocol which the Chamber is distributing to help traders with what must be done to re-open their premises safely. Traders should also remember to fill in a work form for every employee, copies of which are available from the Chamber Office, and have them ready for inspection if an HSE Compliance Officer should call. Other Covid 19 related guidelines have been posted online and these should also be carefully scrutinised to see if any of the guidelines contained therein are applicable to your business.
Over the coming weeks we will continue to keep you informed of on-going developments which may be of interest to you. Please keep in touch and give us your views on any subject you feel should be brought to the notice of Chamber members.
Jimmy Gahan,
Development Officer