Leitrim County Council Draft Incentivised Scheme for Business Start-ups in Town Centres
Grant to Cover:
· Grant to cover any of the following –
o fit out costs subject to any change of use being authorised in regard to Planning Acts,
o shop front improvement and/or signage subject to design being authorised by the Planning Authority,
o improvement to energy performance of premises based on part L of Building Control Act,
o improvement to accessibility based on Part M of Building Control Act
Grant Amount: The lesser of eligible expenditure incurred through the works or as follows
o Year 1 – 75% of the annual rates paid in year 1 of trading.
o Year 2 –50% of the annual rates paid in year 2 of trading.
o Year 3 - 25% of the annual rates paid in year 3 of trading.
There must be no charges or rates due on building at time of each annual application for grant aid.
Factors to be considered:
o The number and proximity of similar outlets already operating in the area.
o The scale of the proposed outlet involved
o The physical impact of the proposed use on the internal structure of the building in which it will be located
o The quality of the shop front and associated signage.
o Must be vacant for at least 6 months on date of application being submitted.
o Rates must be paid in full and on-time.
Types of Businesses: (non exhaustive lists)
· Strong presumption in favour of grant-aid for higher order comparison retail outlets including fashion outlets – both multiple and independent stores, “lifestyle stores”, flagship stores, niche and specialist retailers such as beauty products, homeware, and book stores as well as newsagents / convenience store or supermarkets and subject to authorised use in accordance with the Planning Acts.
· Strong presumption against grant-aid for retail outlets such as Amusement Arcade, Bookmakers / Betting shop, Discount Shop / End of lines / Closing down/Euro Store, Outlet selling hot food for consumption off the premises etc.
Areas to be Covered by Scheme:
· Mapped commercial town centre areas in Tier 1, 2 and 2b towns as prescribed in the County Retail Strategy 2015 – 2021 and on a case by case basis for Tier 3 Local retail Centres and Tier 4 Retail Villages and Shops. (Detailed in Appendices)
Displacement and Deadweight:
Shall not result in the displacement of a business from one property to another and/or from the same property however should a proposed business or retail use type be able to adequately demonstrate that they require a larger premises that will have a positive economic impact, consideration will be given to the inclusion of such a proposal under the terms of this scheme. The Council must always give consideration to any potential for deadweight (possibility that project may have gone ahead anyway) arising from a proposed development.
Retail Hierarchy.pdf (size 74.9 KB)
Map Appendices.pdf (size 1.3 MB)