Ennis seeks Purple Flag for a safer town

MOVES are underway to make Ennis the first town outside of the UK to be awarded a Purple Flag, recognising excellence in the management of safe town centres at night.
While applications for the accreditation scheme are not currently being accepted from Ireland, the initiative has been the subject of discussion by members of Ennis Town Council. Public representatives, Ennis Chamber of Commerce and members of the business community have now come out in support of the Purple Flag accreditation process to achieve a safe, appealing, well-managed town centre.
Ennis town councillors and officials recently undertook a project to find out what the views and concerns of Ennis residents were, with safety being one issue highlighted.
This visioning initiative, called Ennis 2020, was supported and executed by the staff and volunteers from the University of Limerick. In addition, Ennis people asked for greater variety of night-time activities. The detailed findings of that community visioning project were presented to the Municipal Policy Committee and town council by UL last July.
“The public opinion research done earlier this year, provides us all with an invaluable source of information in our daily work in recommendations and decision making for the people of Ennis,” said Councillor Johnny Flynn.
“One of the most apparent items is the communal request for a safer town. It is therefore that I recommend again a proven and externally monitored scheme called the Purple Flag accreditation. It draws on the strengths of partnership between town officials, the gardaí, the business community and the town users to deliver a safe, appealing, well-managed town centre. I believe that this is also an important step to attracting business and festivals to the town.”
Councillor Flynn has been investigating the Purple Flag accreditation and has been in contact with the founding body, the Association of Town Managers in the UK. He presented the full concept at a recent meeting of the MPC, which resulted in the setting up of a working group to investigate the Purple Flag and its suitability to Ennis for the provision of a safer, more appealing town centre.
The aim of the Purple Flag accreditation for town centres is to provide a safe, appealing, well-managed night out and as a result, to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town centres. Just as Blue Flag is an indicator of a good beach, Purple Flag is set to be the indicator of where to go for a good night out, bringing positive publicity for the successful town and city centres.
Purple Flag has been designed as an objective assessment that will help towns to put in place the right framework across five key areas including well-being in terms of safety and diversity of entertainment for different ages, lifestyles and cultures within towns.
The scheme requires a combined approach of key stakeholder groups, including governmental bodies, gardaí, business and consumers. Purple Flag is the benchmark for safe night-time destinations that offer a positive experience to the community and its visitors.
Supporting the proposal, Rita McInerney, CEO of Ennis Chamber commented, “The Purple Flag initiative that the MPC is currently considering seems to present a real opportunity for Ennis in terms of offering residents what they are looking for and could also be a catalyst for job creation in the town centre.”
She further highlighted, “For visitors from other regions and countries, this accreditation is an attractive excellence indicator. In particular visitors from towns and cities holding Purple Flag status themselves, including Manchester, Glasgow, Bristol and London, would know and value the accreditation.Incidentally all of these have direct airport connections to Shannon.”
According to research conducted by the Association of Town Managers, the Purple Flag brings “A raised profile and improved public image”, “lower crime and anti-social behaviour,” “wider patronage and increased spending”, and “A more successful mixed-use economy”.
Local business man Brian O’Neill of the Rowan Tree also voiced his support. “The business community in the Abbey Quarter have been watching the public debates and concerns regarding safety and the night-time economy over the last months with great interest and willingness to listen and learn. The Purple Flag initiative seems to be an exciting concept which is widely supported and I look forward to discussing details with all parties at the table.”
The working group for safer, more appealing night-time entertainment consists of representatives from the town council, the gardaí and the business community. Their aim is to review the Purple Flag criteria against an assessment of the town’s current night time economy and to report back to the town council in December. Providing the assessment is convincing to the town council, Ennis could become the first town to hold a Purple Flag accreditation in the Republic.
At Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council, Councillor Tony Mulqueen urged the county council to explore the benefits of Purple Flag status for Clare.
He was informed by Ger Dollard, director of services that the initiative has been the subject of discussion by Ennis Town Council following the suggestion that the county town apply for designation. Mr Dollard suggested that the process in relation to Ennis town should be brought to a conclusion before the idea is explored for other towns.