Ballaghaderreen has much to look forward to on the commercial front in the New Year. And when a town grows commercially, that can and invariably will benefit everybody in the locality. Ballaghaderreen has long had a great reputation as a shopping town, as a centre of education, as a sporting area and a nice place in which to live. Steeped in history, the town now boasts the HQ for the BMW region, where Roscommon town resident Mr. Gerry Finn is First Director. As 2007 comes to a close, there is much to look forward to on the commercial front. Mr. Declan O’Callaghan is chairperson of Ballaghaderreen & District Development Ltd. and this week he told the Roscommon People about ongoing projects in the area. Declan explained that the first phase of a process designed to introduce CCTV cameras into the town has been completed in that a €5,000 feasability grant has been secured. A consultation process is now underway and the project will be progressed in the New Year. Ballaghaderreen & District Development Ltd. is also working on a major Enterprise Centre initiative. ‘We have one Enterprise Centre completed,’ Mr. O’Callaghan said of the project, which is based at ‘The Shambles.’ That Centre is about 2,000 sq. feet in size and a second, bigger Enterprise Centre is planned at the same location in 2008. Meanwhile a real positive development in recent times has been the establishment of a number of business parks. Declan points to four on the Dublin Road, namely those initiated by Joe Crawley, Colman Lynch, Noel Regan & Sons and Gerry O’Grady. One is full and others are progressing very well in terms of occupancy and tenant interest. ‘Another big development in 2007 of course was the opening by John Duffy of the new Supervalu Supermarket,’ says Declan, paying tribute to this excellent new facility, with the choice it offers and the job creation it’s responsible for. ‘What’s encouraging about the development in Ballaghaderreen at present is the fact that we’re talking about local developers. That’s a real vote of confidence in the town, a welcome sign.’ Declan went on to welcome the plans for a major new hotel in the town. Abbeyfield Hotel Conference and Leisure Centre is set to open in the town in the New Year and recently a new sales office for the hotel opened at Unit 3, Ballaghaderreen Business Park. Declan O’Callaghan says the hotel and leisure centre development will be very welcome. He also alludes to progress on the Community Park project (see separate article in this feature) and expresses the hope that progress can be made on the Ballaghaderreen Swimming Pool project.
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