Drinks companies express concerns with City Edge plans
The Naas Road heading for Bluebell is part of City Edge plans

Drinks companies express concerns with City Edge plans

MAJOR drinks companies are among those who have expressed serious reservations about plans to build some 40,000 homes in Naas Road, Ballymount and Park West areas.

The City Edge project propose to grow the local population to 80,000 over a 40 year period.

Submissions made to Dublin City Council and South Dublin County Council, the two local authorities behind the project, drinks firms Diageo, Britvic and Irish Distillers were among those not in favour of the project.

Diageo, who have plans of their own to develop a 12.6 acre site beside St James Gate brewery in Dublin 8, said that a proposed high street and local centre beside it’s site on Nangor Road was “unacceptable”.

The two land uses “cheek and jowl” would “seriously compromise the operational feasibility of the facility and impact on its viability as one of the most valuable food and drink production sites in Ireland” it said.

Irish Distillers, the company behind Jameson whiskey, is a “significant landowner in the area”, operating from its Fox and Geese site where it has run vatting, blending and bottling functions since the 1950s.

In 2018, the company announced a €20m scheme to include extensions to its main building hall and storage warehouse.

The facility is a Seveso site, which means it handles hazardous substances.

The company has no intention to move to another location.

Britvic, who operate sites in Park West and Kylemore Park, is particularly concerned about the safety of its staff “due to the addition of substantial housing and anti-social behaviour that a project of this magnitude can bring to the area”.

Kevin Donnelly, managing director of Britvic’s Ireland operations, said the company “strongly supports regeneration”, however they have concerns that new housing in “areas of significant industrial and business concentration requires proper consideration of the associated infrastructure and public and social services required to build sustainable communities.”

Other companies have objections to the plans including An Post, who have four sites in the area including the Dublin parcel hub.

It has concerns about movement of heavy good vehicles.

Ballymount business Galco Steel, which plans to invest in its site, said its operations would “conflict” with residential use.

Bluebell business BOC Gases said it would not be “financially feasible” to relocate.

Some companies look forward to regeneration, including cement supplier Kilsaran and Killeen Group, who wish respective sites they own to be developed.

Harris Groups, which owns 76 acres in the area, said it “looks forward” to working with the project team.

TAGS
Share This