A window of opportunity?

Elected members have called on Cork County Council to allow shops and businesses to dress vacant shop windows with their products, rate free.

The call came at Monday's meeting of Cork County Council from Fianna Fail Cllr Sean O'Donovan who said he hates to see vacant premises' windows covered up with newspapers and that allowing other shops to display their goods would be of huge economic benefit to a town.

Currently, if a vacant shop window is dressed with products, the owner is required to pay a rate.

Cllr O'Donovan said there are 13 vacant premises on Bantry's main street and that he plans to bring the issue to the Economic Development SPC.

He added: "It looks shocking going through the town. A dressed window looks a lot better than an empty window. I'm calling on the Rates Department to allow the windows be dressed."

Cllr Kay Dawson added: "To me, the worst thing you can look at is newspaper stuck to a window, or that white stuff they paint all around the window. If I was a visitor to the area, I'd say, 'this place is falling apart!'."

In a written response to the motion, Loraine Lynch, Head of Finance, Cork County Council, said: "Rate is not a tax on turnover or linked to activity or profitability but is incurred solely because the property exists and is liable to be taxed.

"A vacant property by definition in rates legislation must be unoccupied. Vacant properties may be eligible for vacancy relief of commercial rates subject to certain conditions.

By placing display products from other shops or businesses in a vacant property, the property is no longer vacant and thus not be eligible for vacancy relief," she said.

Insert: A call has gone out to allow vacant premises in county Cork to display products from other shops and businesses at no extra cost.