A scheme to fund bringing vacant retail properties back into use could be the key to solving issues of dereliction in West Tipp.
That’s the view of Cllr Anne Marie Ryan-Shiner who raised the issue of dereliction and vacant properties in Tipperary Town at this month’s Municipal District meeting.
Speaking to Tipp FM, she said that while there are many different reasons for properties becoming vacant, it’s not always straightforward to bring them back into use.
Cllr Ryan-Shiner said that if there were schemes such as the Croi Cónaithe fund for vacant retail properties, this may go some way in tackling issues of dereliction.
“Why have we got so many vacant properties? There’s a multitude of answers. Some of them are in probate, some of them are up for rent but the condition inside – you can’t use it, it needs too much work.
“I think we’re only starting, tipping that iceberg in saying ‘how do we get these properties back into use?’ Do we have to repurpose them, do we have to look at a cluster development, but how do you pay for this? We’ve been looking at some of the Croi Cónaithe schemes and the government policy schemes, and they’re all for homes, but what about vacant retail?”
However, shopping locally is crucial to reviving our towns, Cllr Ryan-Shiner said, reacting to the closure of two high-profile shops in Tipperary Town in recent times.
“We need to support the shops we have, that thing about shopping local, I know sometimes you say it and we just say it all the time, but it’s crucial that people come out and support their local, small retailers within the town centre.
“If that doesn’t happen, we’re never going to keep the shops that we have open so that’s crucial.”
