Supermarket owner fears staff layoffs if Strokestown public realm plans go ahead
Frank Hanly outside his Eurospar store in Strokestown.
The owner of a supermarket in Strokestown fears he will be forced to lay off some of his 37 staff if a €8m public realm enhancement plan for the town goes ahead.
Frank Hanly from the Eurospar store was among the two hundred people who turned out on Sunday afternoon to express their concerns that the plan could reduce parking by up to 90% in the town.
Mr Hanly believes that up to 35 parking spaces could be lost outside his supermarket under the proposals.
“If this plan goes, I will have no customers. I’m not saying it loosely, they could literally close me down overnight if this plan goes ahead, and I will have to lay off people,” he said.
The businessman pointed out that there was a commitment given by the council that they would come back and “knock on everyone’s doors” in Church Street and Bawn Street in a bid to “iron out people’s fears”.
“But they didn’t do that and they came back with this crazy plan. There was no future proofing whatsoever with these plans.
“People are saying Strokestown is a heritage town but the plans are ultramodern. It’s a bit of a contradiction in my estimation,” he said.
He said that there were also plans by the council to introduce a two-hour parking zone on Bawn Street but the measure did not materialise when the public realm plan was unveiled.
He also describes increasing the footpaths by a metre each side under the plan as a “ridiculous”. “There’s no need to do it,” he said.
Mr Hanly is in the process of planning for a major renovation of his shop which currently employs 37 full and part-time staff. “This is a pretty significant investment for the shop and the town. But what the public realm plan is proposing, I cannot take that risk – it would literally close me down.”
Hanly’s Eurospar is a family run business which was started by his father Percy in 1968. The Strokestown supermarket is one of the longest serving Spar shops in the country.
Local people claim the enhancement plan will have a knock-on effect for many businesses and residents, including elderly people coming into town and parents doing school pick-ups.
Daily demonstrations outside the county council headquarters in Roscommon Town, which began yesterday, Tuesday, are now set to continue for the foreseeable future.
A petition which has already gathered hundreds of signatures will also be handed into the council at some stage.
