Council to ‘audit’ Listowel trade ahead of bypass
KERRY County Council is to carry out a comprehensive ‘audit’ of businesses in Listowel, looking at the make-up of local trade in great detail as part of the work of the new business and community alliance.
The alliance - which is being set up under the auspices of the council - is to be officially launched after the summer and one of the first items on its ‘work programme’ is the development of a retail strategy and marketing plan for the town, Fianna Fáil County Councillor Jimmy Moloney was informed at a meeting of the municipal authority on Monday.
Traders will be looking at the results with a fine comb at a time of mounting fears over the potentially negative impact of the Listowel bypass, which has progressed to CPO and EIS publication stage.
That the audit and strategy had not been secured prior to the progressing of a bypass that many fear will divert business from the town centre is a source of contention for some.
“I welcome the news that this review of trade, which I’ve been calling for, is to be undertaken but it’s a cautious welcome as all of this could have been published earlier and allayed the fears of business people in town,” Cllr Moloney said.
A number of groups have been set up to address local concerns on the bypass issue and it is expected that ‘observations’ will be made to An Bord Pleanála ahead of a July 7 deadline.
“There seems to have been a lot of technical and engineering work done already but very little from a socio-economic point of view. But it will beneficial to have the overview even if its later than should have been the case,” Cllr Moloney said.
He was informed by council management that ‘ the retail strategy will include an audit of businesses, examining the retail mix in the town. It will include an analysis of foot fall, researchers will speak to retailers and customers as well as looking at traffic flow, parking and enforcement. It will also review the need for additional information signage, the impact of online shopping and how to address it.’