The Problem Isn’t Emptiness: Its what fills the void!
Ireland’s regional towns are navigating a period of significant economic transition, as traditional high street retail models evolve and consumer habits shift. While in some locations spaces remain vacant, the more pressing risk is not emptiness, but what fills the void when proactive investment is unfocused. Low-value uses, transient retail, or businesses that contribute little to the community fabric often occupy these units. This lowers standards, diminishes town identity, and accelerates the outward flow of spending power.
A recent RTE piece spoke in a negative light about the issues.
Walking through any city or large town in Ireland today, many of us will have noticed a significant change in shop fronts compared to just a few years ago
The alternative is clear. Towns can become places of ambition, quality, and sustainable growth—but only if public and private investment deliberately raises the bar. This is not about nostalgia for the traditional high street and traditional usage; it is about positioning towns for the economy of the next 20 years.
Strategic Patience Over Reactive Policy
In the rush to fill vacant units, some towns have allowed a proliferation of uses that, while occupying space, can actually detract from the town’s image and long-term potential. A vacant unit, while appearing negative, can also represent an opportunity for a higher-quality future. Sometimes, strategic patience is required to attract the right business; a business that truly aligns with the town’s long-term vision (once a town has identified its vision), rather than settling for a short-term fix that dilutes the overall value of the ecosystem.
Private landlords and policy makers must realise that quality tenants raise the value not only of their units but of the entire town.
The goal is to cultivate a complete, high-value ecosystem. This involves a targeted, strategic investment in three core pillars:
- Diverse Business and Enterprise: A thriving town centre is a hub of economic activity that extends beyond shops. This means fostering environments that attract a wide range of enterprises—from remote and hybrid workers to health and wellbeing services, education and training providers, tech start-ups, and creative agencies. The “Zoom Towns 2.0“ trend shows that remote and hybrid work has already shifted professional workers into regional towns. This opportunity will only translate into lasting economic impact if towns are ready with the right infrastructure and high-quality spaces.
- Revitalised Public Realm and Community Spaces: Quality attracts quality. Investing in the public realm—creating pedestrian-friendly streets, well-maintained parks, and engaging public art installations—signals that a town is a place of ambition and pride. The sensitive re-purposing of historic or underutilised buildings into vibrant social and cultural venues, such as local food markets, art galleries, and modern cafes, becomes an anchor for the town. These spaces create a unique identity and draw people in for reasons beyond pure commerce.
- A Complete Lifestyle Offering: For a town to be a desirable place for work, it must first be a desirable place to live and visit. A strategic approach involves investing in high-quality housing options and a diverse hospitality sector. This means encouraging the development of stylish residential units in town centres and supporting boutique hotels, restaurants, and leisure facilities that appeal to residents and visitors alike. This completes the ecosystem, ensuring that new footfall is converted into permanent residency and long-term economic activity.
The “Why”: From Projects to Purpose
Many towns are already focused on these three pillars. They’re making fantastic progress on perhaps a new town square, or revitalising a single street, or attracting a new business. But here is the critical insight: doing these things in isolation, as a series of one-off projects, will only ever deliver incremental change.
The true “eureka” moment is realising that the value of each improvement is not linear; it is exponential. A beautiful public square, on its own, is a lovely place to spend time. But when that square is seamlessly connected to a modern enterprise hub or town library, which in turn is surrounded by quality urban housing and a vibrant hospitality scene, a domino effect begins. The value of the workspace or library is magnified by the high standard of the public realm. The desirability of the housing is enhanced by the proximity to new services and amenities. Each component reinforces the others, creating a virtuous cycle of positive activity.
This is the difference between simply fixing a part of the machine and building a complete, self-sustaining engine. It’s a shift in mindset from asking, “What project can we fund?” to “What kind of interconnected ecosystem do we want to create?” This holistic thinking unlocks a town’s true potential and ensures every action contributes to a larger, more powerful vision.
A Policy and Business Imperative
For policymakers, the message is clear: towns are not a problem to be patched, but a platform to be invested in. Strategic incentives—from rates relief tied to quality uses, to funding for digital and physical infrastructure—and setting a clear ban on low-quality commercial uses, can set standards that encourage the right kind of activity.
For business, towns represent untapped markets: professional services closer to dispersed workforces, healthcare responding to local demographics, and cultural venues attracting both locals and visitors. Investing in these areas creates a multiplier effect, raising demand for food, retail, hospitality, and transport in ways that quick-fix, low-value occupiers never can.
Conclusion: Choosing the Future
The future of Ireland’s towns is not inevitable decline, but neither is it guaranteed revival. The direction depends on whether we are willing to make positive, forward-looking interconnected investments now. Filling empty units is not enough. It is the quality of what fills them that determines whether towns drift into long-term mediocrity or reposition themselves as dynamic, modern centres of life and commerce.
Towns have been the backbone of Ireland’s regional identity for centuries. With the right choices, they can be the backbone of its future economy too.
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