11 per cent of commerical units vacant

The number of vacant commercial buildings now stands at 11 per cent, according to new figures published today.

A total of 23,834 commercial units were recorded as vacant by GeoDirectory at the end of June, out of a total number of 226,622 nationally.

The highest number of commercial units was recorded in Dublin where 48,760 premises were recorded. The capital also has the largest number of vacant units with 5,851 currently not being used, equivalent to a 12 per cent vacancy rate for the city.

A total of 8 counties - Carlow, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo - recorded commercial vacancy rates above the national average of 11 per cent.

Of these, Leitrim and Sligo both recorded the highest commercial vacancy rate of 14 per cent, with 268 vacant units identified in Leitrim out of a total of 1,929 premises. Figures for Sligo show that 517 units were vacant of an overall total of 3,648 premises.

Galway had the largest number of commercial premises vacant for a city at 818, 13 per cent of total stock.

The new data shows that Kerry recorded the lowest commercial rate in the country with 602 or 7 per cent of units identified as vacant.

The highest number of vacancies recorded in towns across the Republic of Ireland were in Claremorris, Co. Mayo; Little Island, Co. Cork and in Dublin 17, with 126, 244 and 156 respectively. All three have a commercial vacancy rate of 18 per cent.

In contrast, Kinsale, Co. Cork recorded the lowest commercial vacancy rate of 5 per cent or 31 units.

Geodirectory chief executive Dara Keogh said the latest figures show that around nine out of every 10 commerical premises across the country are currently occupied.

"This positive trend is supported by the 14 counties which are below the national vacancy rate of 11 per cent," he said.

GeoDirectory, which is a subsidiary of An Post, compiles its figures with Ordnance Survey Ireland.