IT is understood that the three occupied units at the food court at SkyCourt are going to close in their current location in the coming months.
It is not clear as of yet why they are being closed but it is understood that the occupiers have been given notice, presumably with some other future retailers in mind.
SkyCourt refused to make any comment when contacted. At this week’s meeting of Shannon Municipal District, there were claims that SkyCourt has been struggling badly in recent years.
Independent Councillor Gerry Flynn said, in recent times, that “the town centre has been practically dying on its feet”. He said that when Shannon Development had its offices in the area it had made a big difference, while it has been negatively effected since its closure.
Councillor Flynn said businesses are closing in the centre as it is, while he claimed Shannon Group “walked away from it”.
He said he is not happy with how Shannon has gone over the years and that the previous masterplan for the town came too late and wasn’t enacted because the Celtic Tiger had departed.
Councillor Flynn said he has recently been contacted by business people who are closing at the town centre, while he urged Clare County Council to “look leniently” at people in arrears with their rates.
The comments were made during a presentation on the development of the multi-million euro Shannon Venue project, which Councillor Flynn says can give a shot in the arm to the town.
During the presentation, Eoin Hoctor, one of those involved in the project, said it could lead to increased footfall in the town centre, giving local retail a boost.
Director of services with Clare County Council, Liam Conneally, acknowledged Shannon’s town centre trails that of other places.
“Shannon is a premier jobs location and in terms of being a transport hub but not as a town centre. We need to get there and the Venue is part of that. The town centre’s revival is a huge issue. It is as much of an issue for businesses and the people who live here as it is for the council,” Mr Conneally noted.
By Owen Ryan
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.