Councillors for the Municipal District of Lifford-Stranorlar have stated that positive contact has been made with the owners of 96 derelict properties in Ballybofey and Stranorlar.
They defended the Twin Towns from an Irish Times article which revealed them to have the second-highest commercial vacancy rate in Ireland.
In Wednesday’s Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District meeting, councillors hit back at an Irish Times article which was published last month.
It revealed that Ballybofey and Stranorlar have around 34% of commercial properties vacant – more than twice the national rate.
Cllr Gary Doherty felt that the Irish Times’ report gave the Twin Towns the completely wrong representation, noting that the towns were thriving. However, he also stated that there were reasons as to why the negative headlines came up.
Adding to this was Cllr Frank McBrearty, who noted that the article was not even worth commenting on. He said he hoped the article would outline more of what the Twin Towns have to offer, such as the Golf Club and the Finn Valley Centre.
Killygordon-based councillor Patrick McGowan shared that the negativity received from the article could help the Government recognise the issue, leading to something positive for the Twin Towns.
