Town could lose kerb appeal, warn traders

Rodney Edwards • Published 8 Jul 2010 16:00 0 Comments

See also:

FROM the Brook area of Enniskillen to the end of Forthill street, 23 shops lie empty and deserted.

It's a sign of the tough economic times we're in as retailers struggle to attract business to the island town.

Coupled with having to compete with the likes of Tesco and Asda and the price of rent and rates, it's not an easy time.

The dismay of shop owners here has resulted in the creation of a new group who have been busy looking at the problem.

Enniskillen Town Traders, whose members include Jonathan Styles, Desi Quinn, Bryan Graham and Sylvia Stevenson believe more should be done to assist traders.

At Monday night's meeting of Fermanagh District Council, the Councillors discussed the issue and agreed with the traders.

Having previously viewed a presentation by the Enniskillen Town Traders, SDLP Councillor Frank Britton said the meeting was "good and informative".

"They are an important group and are giving traders a voice. The first challenge they face is the three large stores in the town. Over the past six months we have seen the weakness in the euro and job losses in the county has meant there is less spending in the county," he said.

Independent Councillor Gerry McHugh praised the traders for "taking an interest" in the future economy of the town.

"Enniskillen is the island town but it comes under a number of difficulties, so there is a necessity for them to get together to resolve these problems. As a lake side town, the town should be open later. It's now closed at five or six o'clock. It should be open longer in the summer. Another issue is the rates the shop owners here are expected to pay. It's really quite astonishing. My advice to the people of Fermanagh is shop in your local town instead of going to places like Belfast. If you can get it here then support your town."

Sinn Fein's Pat Cox claimed the "smallest shop in the town" is costing £700 a week with rates, rent and electricity. "I wonder is the one way system for traffic up the centre of the town stalling things? Would opening up the road both ways, like they had years ago, help improve the flow of the customers coming into the town?" asked the councillor.

"The loss of 18-20 shops from the centre of the town has done damage", commented Harold Andrews.

DUP Councillor Bert Johnston pushed the need for Enniskillen to establish a Chamber of Commerce, adding: "The traders should be the voice of Enniskillen".

Sinn Fein's Phil Flanagan said there were "huge differences" between the centre of Enniskillen and small villages right around Fermanagh: "These are multi-chains up and down the town, not family owned businesses," he said.

Enniskillen Town Traders say they have identified the issues in bringing people back to the town centre. They include improving the car parking and boundary signs, improving signage for the town centre, improving town maintenance, introducing banners, increasing advertising and looking into the rates and expenditure in the town centre. They also have made a series of recommendations, including proposals for a retail development co-ordinator.

But they are keen to stress that they want to work "closely" with the Council. Jonathan Styles of Mercers Jewellers said: "This isn't an argument between us and them. We are all on the same side here. Our job is to encourage people who think the same way we do and we think our points will make the difference. We all have to be realistic. This is a retail climate where business has to be won. We all have to be on our toes. We have to encourage people to come to the town and offer value and service. We must make sure that Enniskillen retains its status as one of the main shopping destinations in the North West," he said.

Mr. Styles said the local agencies responsible for keeping the town clean should be encouraged to do more.

"Part of our presentation included a series of filthy photographs. We went out one day with a camera and found everything. From the typical shopping trolley dumped in the lake, from the overgrown sections of the river, to litter scattered across roof tops visible from bridges, bent road signs, weeds on pavements that have been repaired and filled in with tarmac on a 'it'll do rightly' basis. We photographed several pavements that are just scandalous. It's just not good enough. The signage leading into the car parks are totally below par. They are confusing. They are not right and proper and don't give visiting shoppers an early suggestion of where they should be shopping."

On the suggestion that the town is looking "run down", at Monday's Council meeting, the SDLP's John O'Kane said: "Isn't it a fact that Enniskillen has won the best kept town on several occasions? I believe the town presents a very welcome invite to all."

Responding, Director of Technical Services, Gerry Knox said: "Yes, Enniskillen has won the Best Kept Town Award on seven occasions and the Best Town in the All Ireland contest on four occasions. We have dedicated people who deal with rubbish in the car parks and the areas around the fast food outlets. There are people whose job it is to litter pick around the town. We also regularly steam clean the Diamond area to remove dirt and chewing gum," he said.

Businessman Desi Quinn said it's all about "getting people up the street" and planning for "now" instead of the years ahead.

"Enniskillen is a great magnet as it's the centre of Fermanagh. The main street has got the Churches, it's got great landmarks. It has the fruit and vegetable shop, the hardware shop, the clothes shops and the butchers. It has all these lovely family run businesses. The most frustrating thing is that there are signs up diverting people to the Erneside Shopping Centre because it's a 'destination' but Enniskillen town is a destination -- it's a heritage that we need to look after.

To me the honeymoon period is over and the southern shoppers are gone. Now we really depend on the local people, but it's not easy for the locals as it is for retailers. These are bad times and the independent shops need help from the banks too. There is no point putting things into the town for five years down the line if there's no town left by then. And it's not just Enniskillen either -- we need to look after the rest of the county; the Lisnaskeas, the Belcoos, the Irvinestowns. We need to plan for now," he said.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 08 Jul 10

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.