Permission granted for €40m Baldonnel logistics hub that will create up to 1,000 jobs
By Mary Dennehy
THE development of a €40 million state-of-the-art logistics and industrial hub in Baldonnel, which has the potential to deliver up to 1,000 jobs, has been given the green light by An Bord Pleanala.
In 2015, Mountpark Logistics EU purchased a 35-acre site at Barney’s Lane on the N7, which lies between Casement Aerodrome and Baldonnel Business Park – and conveniently close to the M50, the Outer Ring Road, N81 and N4.
The site is also well connected to key business parks in South County Dublin including Citywest, Grange Castle in Clondalkin and Greenogue in Rathcoole.
Two years ago, Mountpark indicated that it was poised to invest €40million into the site.
However, the planning permission, which generated lengthy debate in the chambers of South Dublin County Council, was refused by county planners on the grounds that the proposed development would take place within an “identified floodplain”.
This decision was appealed by Mountpark to An Bord Pleanala, which, originally due to make a decision by August 2016, this week ruled in favour of the planning application – with construction work now expected to start this summer.
According to Mountpark, the development, which is the largest speculative logistics development in Ireland, will create 120 jobs during construction and 850 through the companies operating from the hub.
As reported in The Echo last year, the development will also deliver a cash injection of €3 million in developer fees to South Dublin County Council, with the local authority also expected to reap €500,000 annually in rates.
Speaking about the development, Phillip O’Callaghan, of Mountpark, said: “There is no project currently in Ireland of the quality of specification that we are planning to build.
“This facility will be built to meet the requirements of modern logistics companies.
“We know, from the discussions we have already held with businesses and development bodies, that there is strong demand for well-located hubs such as this.
“We believe that the project will facilitate agencies such as the IDA and South Dublin County Council in attracting companies to the region.”
The development will consist of a number of units for logistics/warehouse use ranging in size from 10,837sqm to 21,934sqm.
The total ground floor area of the development is around 32,771sqm including 1,569sqm of ancillary office floor space.
Mountpark Logistics EU is a joint venture between UK based Mountpark and the USAA Real Co company of America, which specialises in building logistics centres.
Formed in 2014, the joint venture is already engaged in projects in the UK, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
For more on this story and reaction see next Thursday’s The Echo.
