Coleraine shows signs of a post recession "economic upturn"

by BOB HUGGINS

By his own admission Coleraine town centre was "fairly decimated" at the height of the recession.

There again Ian Donaghey MBE would know. 

He's an accountant and also a local businessman and lost many clients because of the financial downturn.

He also heads up the "town team" - a body designed to inspire and bolster the local retail offering.

Big names like HMV, Heatons, Exhibit, Blue inc - and there were others - simply vanished from the town centre as the global recession took hold. 

(Ian Donaghey, Chair of Coleraine Town Team)

These days things are gradually on the up - but as Ian says:"it's no bonanza".

More than ten years on there's not a single shop vacancy on Church street.

In fact Coleraine has the lowest vacancy rate of any town in Northern Ireland.

Ian says the town owes it's survival to indigenous companies which have managed to weather the storm.

Here's George Duddy, Chair of the Leisure and Development committee of Causeay Coast and Glens Council...

(Councillor, George Duddy, Causeway Coast & Glens council)