TRADERS BITE BACK

LURGAN'S traders have said they are fed up with being ignored and have taken steps to reconstitute the town's Chamber of Commerce.

At a meeting this week traders expressed concerns not just about the disruption the ongoing public realm works in the town are causing but also the long term effects the new town centre design will have once work is completed.

A working group has been set up to examine a way forward to creating a 'Chamber with teeth'. Many at the meeting felt the local council and other authorities had ignored their concerns on a number of issues.

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The six member steering group will then call an AGM for Lurgan Chamber of Commerce with a view to bringing it back to life.

The chamber has been largely dormant for some time, which Lurgan Forward Chairman Charlie Gardiner said had led to opportunities being missed.

Addressing Monday's meeting in Lurgan Library he said: "There has been such a total apathy."

He went on to point out: "Out of town shopping has certainly affected everyone.”

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Speaking of the need for Lurgan traders to have a strong voice he pointed out Lurgan had been relegated to a niche market town while planners had earmarked Rushmere for multi-national development and Portadown for national chains.

A number of those gathered were concerned local politicians were not in attendance, and it was pointed out as some of them had business interests in the town they surely should have attended.

The problems facing the town were familiar ones - the Lough Road railway crossing, car parking and the concern traders were not being listened to.

One trader told the meeting: "We need to have a forum that not only represents town traders but also has clout."

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One of the biggest concerns on the night was the current public realm works.

However, the concern went far beyond the disruption being caused by the ongoing work, concerns were also expressed about the long term effects of the scheme once it’s completed - particularly with the loss of a number of parking spaces in the town centre.

Among suggestions from the floor to make their concerns felt were a possible rates strike, a day of action where traders would stage a sit-down protest in the street to less radical options of meeting local politicians.

There was unanimous support from those attending the meeting that traders want more parking spaces for the town.

One trader pointed out: "Lurgan is one of the few towns with parking in the middle of the street and we want to retain that."