Pop-Up shops are expected to be allowed in Ballina during the Other Voices festival at the end of September after members of the Ballina Municipal District gave them the green light.
An initiative put forward and encouraged by the director of services Tom Gilligan would see empty shop units in the north Mayo town occupied by pop-up vendors over the course of the festival weekend, September 28 and 29.
Fianna Fail’s Annie May Reape proposed the idea at this week’s meeting of the Ballina Municipal District with Fine Gael councillor John O’Hara seconding.
It was made clear that the pop-up shops must not provide competition for existing rate payers in the town and should serve a niche market to suit the town over the weekend and that the owners of empty buildings have agreed to allow the shops use their premises for the duration.
Councillor O’Hara stated: “If things go well for one of these shops they may decide to hang on in Ballina.”
