Larne traders highlight impact of vacant anchor tenant on town’s Main Street

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Doors at the large retail site in the Broadway area of the east Antrim town closed for the final time in the Autumn of 2019 and the building has been empty since.

The Larne Times caught up with local traders this week to hear how the continued closure, as well as the current economic climate, have impacted on their business.

Paul McMullen has been operating on the high street for decades at East Antrim Essentials, while Rosie Richmond is the third generation of her family to run two BAKE branches in the town, one on Broadway and the other at Craigyhill.

Detailing the challenges facing his business, Paul explained: “I love Larne and the members of the community have supported me well over the years and I know it’s been a tough time for a lot of people trying to run a business.

"Every town has problems and I don’t want to run my own area down, because Larne is still keeping its head above water. There are issues, such as the vacant Dunnes store and the state of Dunluce Street in particular.

"People would have come into the town centre to shop at Dunnes and then went to surrounding businesses in the Main Street area. We noticed a drop in footfall when Dunnes closed. Then there was the Covid pandemic and the ‘cost of living crisis’ followed and these hit traders hard.

"My main concern would be the rates we are having to pay. You could be paying £100,000 a year and this doesn’t leave much of a budget to reinvest in operating the shop and paying staff.

"One positive has been the formation of the Larne Business Forum. Traders are working together to try and make the town better. Everyone is speaking with one voice and hopefully it will help to regenerate the area and make things simple for existing businesses and others wishing to establish a business.”

The BAKE town centre store is located on Broadway on the edge of the Kings Arms Centre, where Dunnes lies empty. Rosie stated: “We have had to introduce pest control measures outside of our shop boundary, at the entrance to Dunnes. This is an extra expense for us in an already tough trading climate, but as a food business we need to keep our shop pest free.

“When Dunnes closed, the adjoining car park was closed. This has greatly reduced the number of people driving to our shop as spaces are now at a premium.

"Our town centre branch always made more profits than our Craigyhill store, but with the closure of Dunnes and the reduction in nearby parking spaces, Craigyhill has been doing better for us.

"I know of other towns and villages across Northern Ireland where motorists get a longer time limit for on-street parking. I would call on the decision makers to consider increasing the time limit people can park in Larne town centre. Cars bring people to the town. We need to make it attractive for people to want to come and shop in the area.

"Because we are right beside the vacant Dunnes store, we had to keep getting the message out there that we were still open.”

East Antrim Alliance MLA Danny Donnelly facilitated the meeting with traders.

Commenting on the issues raised, Mr Donnelly said: “Larne is blessed with independent traders at the heart of the local community. The Dunnes closure has had a significant impact on Main Street and the surrounding businesses. There has been a drop in footfall and there is a noticeable drop in the number of people in the area."

He went on to allege: "There has been evidence of anti-social behaviour in the proximity of the retail unit, including fires being started and alcohol being consumed.

"What we’re hoping to see is that there’s a long-term plan for what is a prime retail location on Larne Main Street and that we can get people back into the area.

"In terms of the neighbouring Dunluce Street, action had to be taken to keep people safe, but the traders in the area have suffered.”

Police have said “proactive patrols” will continue in the vicinity of Broadway and Main Street in a bid to combat anti-social behaviour.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Police in Larne have received eight calls regarding anti-social behaviour in the Main Street area of the town, over the last six months. Calls received within the last six months have not been specific to the former Dunnes Stores site, and officers are not aware of any recent issues at this location.“Patrols have previously been conducted around the site area and officers provided security advice to the land owner at the time, to prevent any unwanted access. Going forward, we will continue proactive patrols in and around this location, and assess whether further security precautions are required in order to target any concerns.”

The Larne Times has attempted to contact Dunnes Stores for comment. None has been received at the time of publication.