Limerick traders make plea over 'detrimental' closure of street

THE chairperson of the Limerick City Centre Traders Association has pleaded with council bosses not to close a section of the city’s main thoroughfare next month.

It comes with a decision due to be made by the end of the week on whether to close the Crescent area around the Daniel O’Connell monument for three Sundays in December.

Caroline Long, who heads the business group made the appeal at this month’s metropolitan district meeting held on Monday this week.

“I want to say on behalf of the traders: it is detrimental to have the Crescent closed on shopping days. We have very few shopping days left until Christmas.”

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Ms Long of Limerick and District Credit Union in William Street, was in City Hall as part of a delegation from the traders association, which claims to represent 150 small business people across the city.

She spoke alongside Steve Gleeson of Gleeson’s Sports Scene in Upper William Street and Owen Silke, of Silke’s Stationary in Catherine Street.

Limerick City and County Council published a notice on November 7 with the proposal, for the closure to be between 12pm and 6pm on Sunday December 8, 15 and 22.

It stated this is to “facilitate Christmas activities”.

There was no further information about this - although council is to unveil its plan for the festive season this Wednesday.

It would be the second time the stretch of road has been closed this year, after it was cordoned off during the month of August.

Members of the public had the chance to have their say to the council up to this Tuesday, and a decision will be made based on the feedback received.

But Ms Long said: “We cannot understand the sense of it. We would plead with you not to do that to us. Not at our busiest time of the year. People will just think, part of that (street) is closed, I’ll go to the Crescent Shopping Centre instead. We are fighting the Crescent Shopping Centre all the time, but this is putting another obstacle in our way and for what really?”

Mr Gleeson added: “We are supportive of Sunday events - Christmas markets, Christmas stalls and the like. But we would ask that areas which are already pedestrianised be used, such as the Potato Market. Don’t close down our streets which are used for access on our busiest trading weeks of the year.”

A number of members backed the traders’ concerns, with Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler saying: “Nobody can tell me this makes sense on any level. We have limited resources - so we keep being told - and these should be kept where businesses are open and active. It’s three Sundays before Christmas. It’s one of the most vital trading periods of the year. Those three Sundays will be hugely vital to the survival of businesses and could be make or break.”

Metropolitan district leader Kieran O'Hanlon, Fianna Fail added: “I see absolutely no benefit in closing the Crescent other than inconveniencing people.”

Priomh Chomhairleoir Dan McSweeney of Fine Gael who alongside Cllr O’Hanlon met the traders prior to the meeting, also spoke against the proposed closure.

Cllr Catherine Slattery, Fianna Fail, described the move as “a complete joke”.

Independent councillor Maria Donoghue, however, has previously spoken in favour of the plan.

At this month’s meeting, she recalled the opposition she faced when plans came to only part-pedestrianise O'Connell Street when she was a council official herself.

“Only a short number of years ago, some of the sitting councillors in this room brought me to task over the closure of O'Connell Street, when we proposed it be closed for special events. There was war that we weren't going to close it fully and pedestrianise it wholesale. I was given a lot of abuse online. I'm very surprised at the turnabout of events and how quickly we flip-flop,” she said.

At Monday's meeting councillors were told a decision on the closure had not yet been made and were assured the opposition of many council members was noted.

A decision on whether the closure goes ahead or not is due by the end of this week.