Castlebar local area election candidate Lisa Chambers has organised a public meeting to discuss the decline of town centres over the recent years. The election hopeful will be hosting the meeting in the Welcome Inn Hotel on Monday week, March 10, where Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen will give a talk on the party’s Streets Ahead policy document. The meeting will also be addressed by local business people and a representative from the Chamber of Commerce on the issue.
Speaking on the meeting Chambers said: "We have all noticed the decline in our town over the past number of years. Many, if not all businesses have seen a huge decline in trade and are struggling to keep going, In fact some business have already had to close their doors. You walk down the main street on a Saturday afternoon and you would think it was a Monday because it is so quiet," said Chambers.
"It is time we as a town helped ourselves and came together as a community to address this issue. We need new ideas on how we can revitalise Castlebar and make it a more attractive place for shoppers. If everyone living in Castlebar and the surrounding areas shopped and socialised in Castlebar instead of going to Westport, Ballina, or Galway then it would go a long way towards addressing the problem. We need to make Castlebar a town where people want to come and do their shopping and spend time socialising with friends and family. Development of the local economy is fundamental to the future of Castlebar." Chambers continued. "This is why I have organised this meeting. I would like to see local business owners, local elected representatives, and citizens attend and give their thoughts and ideas on how we can get Castlebar working again.”
