Roscommon’s commercial vacancy rate stood at 14.9% in the last quarter of 2017, representing an increase of 0.5pp compared to the same period in 2016, according to the latest GeoDirectory Geoview Commercial Vacancy Report.
The research reveals that 73.1% of the vacant commercial address points in Roscommon have been empty for over three years.
Overall, the national commercial vacancy rate in Ireland dropped slightly from 13.5% in Q4 2016 to 13.3% in Q4 2017.
Boyle, at 22%, is the town with the highest commercial vacancy rate in Roscommon.
Roscommon Town, at 20.3%, is the town with the lowest commercial vacancy rate in Roscommon.
Sligo had the highest commercial vacancy rate in the country at 18.7%, while Kerry recorded the lowest vacancy rate at 10.5%.
Commercial activity remains concentrated on the East coast of Ireland, with the Greater Dublin Area accounting for 33.2% of the overall national stock. This is in stark contrast to Connacht and Ulster, with these provinces only accounting for 13.7% and 7.8% of the national stock respectively.
In Dublin, the commercial vacancy rate fell to 12.4%, a drop of 1.3pp compared to last year, with 16 of the 22 postal districts recording a vacancy rate below the national average of 13.3%. Dublin 2 experienced a drop of 6.4pp, the most significant reduction in the city. Dublin 8, at 16.7%, has the highest commercial vacancy rate of all the Dublin postal districts.
Outside of the capital, there is evidence that the economic recovery is beginning to spread, albeit slowly, beyond the Greater Dublin Area. Modest reductions were recorded in Leitrim (-0.8pp), Donegal (-0.5pp), Limerick (-0.3pp), Waterford (-0.3pp) and Mayo (-0.3pp).
Despite evidence of progress, the report highlights a continued imbalance between Dublin and the rest of the country, as commercial vacancy rates remain stubbornly high outside the capital.
In total, GeoDirectory data shows that 15 counties registered vacancy rates higher than the national average in Q4 2017, unchanged from twelve months ago.
