Cork businesses encouraged to leave lights on to create safer streets
Businesses in Cork City centre will be paid a small grant if they agree to leave their lights on at night as part of a new campaign to help create safer and cleaner city streets.
The Cork Business Association will pay a €250 subsidy to participating businesses in its Leave A Light On initiative which will run until January.
It said more gardaí are needed but that, in the meantime, it plans to work with all stakeholders on positive steps towards creating a safer and cleaner city.
The night light initiative, a Cork Nighttime Economy initiative supported by the CBA, is just one part of a much wider association campaign that will see it continuing to advocate for more gardaí, for a better street-cleaning regime, and for more greening initiatives — details of which will be unveiled at an association breakfast event on Tuesday.
The campaign is one of the outcomes of its five-year strategic plan launched earlier this year which is structured around five working groups, or "pillars", one of which is a "safe and clean" city.
The association's "safe and clean working group" will be launched on Tuesday, chaired by Total Planning Solutions' Clara O’Neill, and supported by other business leaders — including Kate Neville of Neville’s Jewellers, Kevin Cotrell from the Old Oak, and Lisa McCarthy.
The Cork Business Association president, Aaron Mansworth, said they will work with the city council and gardaí to ensure high standards of safety and cleanliness in the city centre, and will manage several new initiatives to foster a further sense of safety and community pride.
“Starting in October and running through January, we are encouraging businesses to leave at least one light on in the evening, creating a safer, more inviting atmosphere in our city,” Mr Mansworth said.
"[The association] will provide a subsidy of €250 to each participating business to offset any extra costs.”
He said there is a greater garda presence in the city since the summer, with a 50% reduction in begging reported.
While retail theft has risen, he said this is due to improved data collection which is helping gardaí secure additional resources.
The association hopes for a decision soon on its application for Department of Justice funding for community safety wardens in the hope of deploying them in the first quarter of next year.
"This will give us critical resources in the city at key times. This is not to replace gardaí, but to provide additional resources,” Mr Mansworth said.
He said the association is in regular talks with the council about securing more funding for more street cleansing and power washing.
A new Cork Cleaning and Greening initiative focusing on deep cleansing, planting, painting and revitalising streetscapes, encouraging civic pride street-by-street, is due to start soon, the association said.
It will launch its Christmas window display competition soon, and it is working with Let’s Play Cork to attract families into the city during the festive season.
It also hopes to launch a Coffee House Lates initiative in November to encourage coffee shops to stay open late to demonstrate how they can be transformed into vibrant social hubs and offer an alternative evening out.
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