Only local councils can save our city centres

Anybody who has been around North America will be familiar with the fact that there are few city centres as we know them. The only businesses apparent in what would normally be the city centre are office block after office block interspersed with service industries feeding or supplying those who work in the office blocks. By and large they are soulless places.

Several decades ago retail outlets moved to out-of-town locations close to major highway junctions and residential areas where scale was possible and parking and access was much easier. The same thing happened across the UK, Ireland, and Europe to varying degrees.

The issue has become so acute that several UK local authorities have recently raised the issue of penalising the retailer who moves out of town to try to ensure that more businesses relocate in the city centre area in an effort to revitalise those areas.

This new tax, which has euphemistically been called the ‘Tesco Tax’, has targeted revenue generation of £400 million (€500m) which, it is argued, would be used to ‘pay for improvements to local shopping areas’. Twenty local councils in the UK led by Derbyshire put forward the suggestion some months ago. There is already such a tax in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Business leaders in the UK have insisted that it will drive up prices whilst doing nothing to alleviate already high business rates. They argued, and the same would apply here, that city centre businesses ‘contribute disproportionately to funding local services’. Interestingly, the UK Department of Communities and Local Government opposes the idea because subsequent ‘price rises would hit low income families disproportionately’.

In recent months the idea for such a tax or levy has also been mooted here. Galway recently rejected a request for permission by Tesco to build a €15m store on the grounds that it would detract from the viability and vitality of Galway City Centre.

Dealing with the issue through planning is one thing but should we agree with a levy?

Perhaps the local authorities should firstly examine their own part in effectively forcing these retailers to move to out-of-town locations. Testimony was given to many of the reasons why companies make these moves on the Joe Duffy Show last Tuesday. Some of those interviewed spoke of myriad beggars, drug dealers, and drug users on city streets. One spoke of having to keep the door of his shop closed during the normal working day. Some spoke of the apparent lack of a Garda presence when the streets are not as safe as they used to be.

Then, of course, there are the issues of rates and access and lack of parking. Rates are constantly on the rise while service levels go down. Parking is difficult at the best of times and expensive all of the time.

The fact is if they want people to come into town there must be a reason for them doing so. That means, there must be the services, the stores, access and inexpensive and convenient parking. Without these folk will continue to go out of town.

Witness the huge crowds at any of the major shopping malls around the country, whether it is Mahon, Dundrum, Blanchardstown. They are clean, modern, are generally under one roof so no rain, and have most if not all of what folk are looking for and, most importantly, parking is close by and free.

The future of our city centres are in the hands of our local authorities. They need to address what people want and need and not simply look into their own souls and decide what we want. They also need to be responsible and accountable for their actions. Right now it would appear that our local authority CEOs are answerable to no one.