Almost 300 people attend campaign meeting to rejuvenate town centre in Tipperary

A recent meeting regarding setting up a Clonmel Business Improvement District (BID) took place in the town on Tuesday September 2 at The Talbot Hotel.

There were 285 ratepayers who attended the meeting, who had the opportunity to watch a presentation by some of Sligo BID’s board members.

Gail McGibbon, CEO of Sligo BID, gave the presentation which highlighted the BID system’s benefits for Sligo.

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Starting off the presentation, McGibbon said that the Sligo BID team was a collaboration of business people in the town of Sligo with one shared common goal: the growth of the town.

“We learn more from each other when we’re in that network than we ever would alone,” she said. Formed in 2016, the Sligo BID has an annual budget of €315,000. This amount goes towards chasing more funding to enhance the towns growth and to support local groups like the Tidy Towns in Sligo.

The town also received a purple flag since adopting a BID committee, which is an award given to a town due to the appeal and management of a town or city centre area after 5pm.

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The funding for this BID system comes from each ratepayer in the town, paying 5% of their annual commercial rate, as a BID payment. This is capped and reinvested directly back into Clonmel improvements.

Proponents for Clonmel BID say that it would improve safety in the town as access to a new data logging app called Purple Pulse, which tracks anti-social behaviour incidents, would be accessible to the town once setting up a BID.

Tourism development is another focus of the BID team as well as greater community engagement. Every ratepayer in Clonmel will have the chance to vote yes or no for a Clonmel BID. Postal ballots will be issued on January 5 and the ballot closes on January 22.

Those attending the meeting were told that a yes vote would improve safety, footfall, and the town’s vibrancy as well as attracting more visitors and spending. Questions and concerns raised during the meeting were regarding already high commercial rates being paid to the council, businesses that were struggling to pay bills and safety issues regarding the lack of Gardaí in the town.

Those at the meeting were told that commercial rates go towards the upkeep of roads, traffic lights and other services provided by local properties.

Data gathered with the Purple Pulse app could essentially help argue the case for more Gardaí in towns in the future, said proponents of the BID. “It’s better to do something than nothing,” was the comment of one proponent, who worried that without the Clonmel BID being set up, there was not a lot of opportunity for such growth to happen to Clonmel. It was also argued that being part of a network of businesses locally, nationally and internationally may just put Clonmel on the map.

Over 180 submissions have been received by Tipperary County Council by the close of the Public consultation phase on last Friday September 5. 150 of those were since the ratepayers meeting the previous Tuesday night.

All three Tipperary South TD’s have issued statements of support for Clonmel Bid.

Fine Gael TD Michael Murphy, whose office is based in Clonmel, explained why he supports the BID scheme: “The Business Improvement District (BID) model is not about shifting responsibility or imposing unnecessary costs, it’s about empowering local businesses to take charge of their own trading environment and create a thriving, attractive town centre.”

Independent TD Seamus Healy, who is also based in Clonmel, has described the proposed BID company as a “progressive initiative” which he fully supports.