3 Comments
Opinion -
Newry is never going to progress until the issue of ugly shutters that adorn virtually every shop and premises on the city's streets is addressed. There are many reasons for them being in use in the first place, the most obvious one being that a generation ago during the troubles they were a way to try to stop your premises being firebombed, but they even failed at that as the arsonists just put the devices in the shops before they closed.
Why would anyone want to take a walk down Hill Street of a weekend or of an evening. The complete ambience of the area is menacing coupled with a distinct air of dereliction created mostly by these steel fortifications. I feel a major issue around shutters is the fact that most business people that own or run businesses in Newry don't actually live close by and therefore don't see the damage that their decision to protect their premises millitary strength is doing to the ambience of the city.
In recent years a handful of passionate businesses have decided to leave the shutters off their premises and this is to be very much welcomed, but until this drip becomes a tide Newry is lost.
Many reasons are given for retaining the shutters in front of premises but considering most other parts of the world can manage and prosper quite well without them you have to wonder if the concept is just so far ingrained into local business peoples psyche that they can't see another way? Two reasons that are oft repeated are 'we can't get insurance if we don't have the shutters' and 'We'd only be broken into' both of which, while they have merit should not be used to hold the rest of the population of Newry to ransome. Insurance companies do insure many premises without shutters and in instances where valuable products are stocked the shopkeeper most likely always store these items in a safe anyway when leaving.
Of course our local authorities such as the Department for Communities or Council could give incentives for premises to improve their shop fronts, something that would lead to more people living above the shops and the removal of these monstrosities, why they don't is anyones guess. Can they not see the dire state our high streets are in once the business people go home?
Streets with bright shop frontages showing their produce contribute massively to the look and feel of an area and would see the streets used more and even encourage people to go into those same shops on a Monday morning to buy that item they saw in the window. Perfect advertising.
Public realm works of the past and in the future to improve the street furniture of our streets with seating and planting are all for nought if they ignore the 'elephant in the room'.
Are any more local business people going to make the move and help to bring life and vibrance back to our city?
