Fianna Fáil is calling for a taskforce to be set up to help revitalise Enniscorthy town centre in Co Wexford.

The party made the call after there has been a surge in the number of vacant premises in the area due to businesses closing down.

Mr James Browne TD said the situation has got worse recently and this will place further difficulties on the remaining businesses.

He said: "Figures which I recently obtained show that Enniscorthy already has a vacancy rate of 15.7%, which is well above the national average. This figure is likely to increase if definitive action is not taken to arrest the decline of the town centre.

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"It's clear that Enniscorthy town centre is facing an enormous challenge in the months ahead. We need to see the setting up of a taskforce which brings together business owners, the local authority, the chamber of commerce and other representative groups with the aim of putting in place a plan to revitalise the town centre. The fundamental aim of this plan should be to attract new businesses and shoppers into the town to help grow local enterprise.

"Similar taskforces have been established in other towns down through the years which were experiencing difficulties. For example, Westport setup a special taskforce when its town centre was hit with a deluge of local business closures in a short period of time. This taskforce examined what actions needed to be taken to attract new shoppers into the town and reduce the number of vacant units in the area. The taskforce was highly successful and laid the basis for the recovery of the town."

(CD)