Ballymena Council rejects ‘empty shop statistics’

Responding to the report from the Lisney Group, the Council said that the claimed vacancy rate of 27% was not in keeping with their rate of around 18%.

A spokesman for the Council said: “ We define the ‘town centre’ as that designated by town planners. We independently measure vacancy rates in this core town centre area on a quarterly basis, and these figures show the Ballymena town centre retail vacancy rate is at 17.9% as of October 2013, well below the figure of 27%. As our vacancy figures do not take into account ‘out of town’ spaces, this gives a more realistic picture of the retail experience in Ballymena town centre.

“Our vision for the town centre is to build on Ballymena’s reputation as a great place to shop. A number of initiatives are underway, in partnership with independent retailers and other bodies, to continue to improve the overall shopping experience and attract investment through revitalisation, regeneration and shopping events.

“The annual Church Street Discount Day was held last week, and was once again a success. Retailers reported strong sales, a great atmosphere and increased footfall.We look forward to a full calendar of Christmas events to add sparkle to the Ballymena shopping experience, starting tonight [Tuesday] with Council’s Christmas lights switch-on at The Braid.”

For more information on what is on in Ballymena, please visit www.ballymena.gov.uk or www.everythingballymena.com.