Highest commercial vacancy rate in Sligo

COMMERCIAL vacancy rates in Sligo have increased from 16.4% in Q4 2015 to 18% in Q4 2016.

This is the highest rate recorded in Ireland and well above the national average which has increased, from 12.6% to 13.5% during the same time period, according to new research published by GeoDirectory today.

The GeoDirectory database shows there were 213,666 commercial address points in Ireland with 28,796 of those properties lying vacant. The data indicates a substantial unused commercial building stock not just across the country but also in Dublin.

The new research is from the Q4 2016 edition of GeoView which is published twice a year.

One key finding from the analysis is that counties on the west coast of Ireland tended to perform less well than their eastern counterparts, with Sligo ( 18%), Leitrim ( 16.4%), Donegal, Mayo ( 15.6% each), Galway ( 15.4%) and Limerick ( 15.3%) having the six highest vacancy rates in the country.

This split is again evident when looking at a provincial level, Connacht, at 15.7%, had the highest vacancy rate of any province, while Leinster ( excluding Dublin), had a vacancy rate of 12.5%. Munster also recorded a vacancy rate below the national average at 12.9%, while Ulster and Dublin recorded overall vacancy rates of 14% and 13.7 % respectively.