Published: Wednesday, 28th April, 2010 5:00pm

Busy year ahead for Cavan Chamber

by Tom Carron

Pacelli Lynch is the new Cavan Chamber president.
Pic by==: 97

Communication is the operative word as far as the incoming President of Cavan Chamber, Pacelli Lynch, is concerned. Pacelli, who succeeded Eamonn McDwyer as president at last Friday night's Chamber Ball, is an established figure in the commercial life of Cavan and will use his term of office to further promote the image of the county town as a business, tourism and cultural centre.

He believes that good communication is essential to selling the town as an attractive place in which to shop and to socialise. In his view, the Chamber with its wide representation right across the Cavan business community is a key player in the drive to harness the town's strengths as a growing regional centre.

Commenting on his election as president of Cavan Chamber, Pacelli acknowledges that he heads up a strong team of board members who are drawn from across the business spectrum in Cavan - from businesses located both in the centre of Cavan and in the new shopping parks on the outer limits.

"It means that we have a good active board; we are very much in contact with people on a day-to-day basis and we have a very good working relationship with the local authorities and other groups in the area, which is essential," he says.

Focusing on the theme of good communications, the new Chamber president stresses the importance of getting the Chamber's message through to the general public and to their fellow business people. "We have a very good sub committee dedicated to that field and I am quite sure that they will come up with a series of proposals including the publication of a newsletter on a quarterly basis," he revealed.

Town enhancement is something that Pacelli Lynch feels very strongly about. The fact that the Chamber has a close working relationship with Cavan Town Council and Cavan County Council is a welcome bonus, he says.

"When a shopkeeper comes to town what do they see? First impressions are important and that is why in conjunction with the local authority we have improved the entrances quite a bit but there is a lot more to be done," says Pacelli.

Work is ongoing on improving the visual image of Cavan in the eyes of the visitor and the Chamber is encouraging shop owners in the centre of town to participate in a hanging basket display scheme. Last summer, there were 55 hanging baskets adorning premises on main street and according to the Chamber president it is hoped to get an additional 20 shop owners to participate this summer.

"The floral displays have been commented upon favourably and I would like to compliment Bernie McGovern and her team for the fantastic work they are doing in terms of floral arrangements for Cavan town," he says.

Improving the level and quality of public signage in the county town is another objective of Cavan Chamber. "At the moment the signage is poor and inadequate. It is a project that we are going to undertake to try and improve the situation. Also there is a lack of control in terms of the number of temporary or ad hoc signs that are springing up all over the place - signage must be improved but it must also be controlled," says Pacelli.

He feels that the ongoing development of Cavan town must be undertaken in an integrated fashion. Strategic planning is essential so that Cavan has a focus at its centre, which symbolises the heart of the town. "It would be nice if there was a focal point in the town whether that's in the Market Square, the Egg Market of at Abbeylands. The latter could be cleaned up and made more accessible to the public," he suggests.

It is recognised nationally that Cavan town has developed enormously over the past ten to 15 years. However, the current recession is challenging everyone, particularly the retail sector. When asked what can be done to help the retail sector, Pacelli Lynch doesn't pull any punches about the difficulties facing businesses in Cavan and other border towns in the last few years.

"Towns like Cavan are challenged on two fronts - there is the downturn in the Irish economy which is difficult in itself and there is also the issue of cross border shopping. It is important that the Irish government recognises this reality and takes measures to counteract the flow of business across to Northern Ireland," he says.

While referring to the challenge posed by cross border shopping, the Cavan Chamber president at the same time welcomes the slow down in this practice over recent months. This he says has been achieved through a number of factors such as the raising of VAT levels in the UK and the slight lowering of VAT here.

"Also, very importantly, many retailers in the Republic are offering fantastic value at the moment and it pays to shop here rather than go North. The shopkeepers have done what they can but there are certain fixed costs such as rates and energy costs, which are a heavy burden on many businesses struggling to survive," he points out.

Referring to the collateral damage of business closure, Pacelli Lynch points out that when a business closes down in a town the local authority suffers a rates loss and central government also sustains a loss of the taxes. Ensuring that businesses survive the current stormy economic climate must be a priority of Government, he stresses.

"Energy costs are too high here when compared to the UK and Europe, even though it costs the same to generate electricity in those countries as it does here. Commercial rates are also too high and are putting a heavy burden on many businesses," he states firmly.

On the role of the Chamber in promoting industrial development in Cavan, Mr. Lynch is of the firm view that the existence of favourable conditions for the generation and growth of indigenous industry is the way forward. "Home-grown industries are more loyal to the area and are stakeholders in the local community. We must encourage people to come forward with ideas to their local enterprise board who will provide help," he remarks.

High on Cavan Chamber's list of priorities is the promotion of the county's huge tourism potential. "We have the landscape, the waterways, the history and the culture but we haven't been able to capitalise on that like the West of Ireland, Donegal and Kerry. We really should be promoting Cavan as a tourism destination in its own right and market it as the Lakelands of Ireland. We are sitting 100kms from a population of one and a half million people, which is just an hour's drive up the road," outlines the Cavan Chamber president.

Pacelli Lynch compliments the work of all of the different community, social and sporting organisations functioning in the town and says that all of these bodies in their own way are contributing hugely to the betterment of life in Cavan. He singled out Cavan Youthreach, the Lions Club, Positive Age and the Good Morning project as examples of this wonderful community spirit.

Pacelli Lynch accepts that we are living in challenging economic times but he firmly believes that the Irish people, particularly the people of Cavan, have a tremendous spirit of resilience that will carry them through the current storm.

"We have quite a number of positives happening this year which will generate a good spin off. The first is the summer festival starting on June 21 and then the Fleadh Cheoil in August. The Fleadh will bring 200,000 visitors to the town and county with a potential €15m/€20m spin off. It's fair play to Comhaltas at local, county and national level for choosing Cavan for the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil and all the work they are putting into it. Also praise must go to the local authorities and to the local communities here in the Cavan area who are also working very hard. There are 20 sub committees working every week in preparing for the Fleadh. I congratulate all involved for their efforts," concluded the Cavan Chamber President.

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