Longford Council to incentivise occupancy of vacant units

Longford County Council will look at the possibility of introducing a scheme to incentivise the occupancy of vacant retail units in towns across the county. Councillor Uruemu Adejinmi raised the issue at the December meeting of the local authority.

Councillor Adejinmi called on Longford County Council to introduce a Retail Incentive Scheme to address the issue of vacant retail units throughout the County.

“The scheme if introduced for 2024 would incentivise occupancy of vacant retail units in our towns and villages and would help address urban dereliction and the high percentage of commercial vacancy that exists at present,” she said.

The Fianna Fáil councillor said there is a very real need for the scheme: “It would support our urban regeneration and town centre efforts, helping to revitalise and re-energise our Town Centres, encouraging more visitors and improving footfall in our towns.”

Councillor Adejinmi said such schemes are in operation in Louth and Laois, and a suitable model could be adopted for Longford: “It looks to be yielding the desired results in those counties where there are more premises being occupied. It would help support the regeneration projects and would ultimately bring more revenue into the council.”

Cllr Seamus Butler seconded the motion, saying it could target areas with high vacancies. He added that the scheme could be designed in such a manner that it would not provide competition for existing businesses.

Cllr Gerry Warnock also supported the motion.