Parking changes will give Banagher business a chance

Published: Wed 22 Jun 2011, 4:53 PM

Last updated: Wed 22 Jun 2011, 6:02 PM

Local businesses in Banagher are delighted with new parking arrangements for the town's main street, Changes agreed at last Monday's meeting of Offaly County Council will see one hour max parking introduced on the Main Street between the Queen Street and Church Street junctions. Until now all-day parking was allowed on some of the 122 metre stretch of Main Street between the two junctions, while parking was prohibited on more of it. At the same meeting last Monday councillors elected to change parking arrangements at the library car park in Banagher from a maximum of one hour to a maximum of three hours. Proposing the parking bye-law change, Councillor Sinead Moylan-Ryan said the shorter parking time on the Main Street would "give business a chance". With cars being parked on the Main Street from the beginning to the end of the day, Councillor John Leahy said passing trade for businesses on that part of the Main Street was "nearly non-existent". Ann Mullins owns Banagher Cleaners, a dry cleaners and launderette on Banagher's Main Street that has been in business in the town for the past 24 years. She said the parking rule changes are a good thing for her business. Until now, she said parking spaces that would be ideal for her customers were being taken by cars parking there "all day". "Especially where we have the launderette, people would be coming in during the winter with big bags of clothes for drying. They'd be coming in out of breath saying they couldn't find a parking space close by." Now Ann said there's a chance for more people to come in to her, or go to the shop or the hair salon for example. "They can park close and then move off and give somebody else an opportunity," she said. "I think it's a great idea." Parking rule changes won't come into effect until manager's orders from this week's Offaly County Council meeting have been processed. However a spokesperson for Offaly County Council said on Wednesday this is expected to happen within the next fortnight.