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Sod Turning Ceremony - (May 6th 2005)

Construction of Fota Retail and Business Park, a €100 million commercial project at Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork has commenced, following a “sod turning” ceremony today (May 6th ) by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin T.D.

In the region of 1200 jobs will be created at the 450,000 sq.ft. Retail and Business Park which is being developed on the site of the former Youghal Carpets factory.

The project will comprise retail warehousing, DIY, office based industry, business units, R and D incubator units, warehousing, car showrooms, and motor mall and light industry units. Creche and other facilities will also be incorporated in the project which will be rolled out incrementally over a period of 3 / 5 years.

The 38 acre site is strategically located close to the Cork/Rosslare Euroroute, the Cork / Dublin and Cork/Cobh interchanges, the Jack Lynch Tunnel and adjoins an existing IDA land bank and the proposed East Cork Railway link. The project is very much in keeping with the thrust of the Cork Area Strategic Plan which sees economic and residential development concentrating in a number of designated areas, including East Cork, to be served by appropriate road and rail infrastructure, including a Cork- Midleton railway link. The plan for the new development allows for a railway station to service the site and to accommodate a park and ride facility. Some 1,400 parking spaces will be provided within the development as a whole.

Fota Retail and Business Park director, Mr. Joe Carey, said Cork had developed to the point when there was a demand for developments like Fota Retail and Business Park and the underlying economic strength to sustain it. “There is a tremendous amount of development going on at present right across the spectrum – residential, commercial and retail – and it is our belief that this project will become a key catalyst for further economic development not just in East Cork but in the county as a whole, ” Mr. Carey said.

Carrigtwohill is in the midst of a significant growth cycle and has attracted both significant multinational investment and large scale housing development in recent years. Its growth will ensure that it will become a significant satellite town to the east of Cork city.

A County Council Area Plan envisages an additional 6,000 houses being built in Carrigowhill, 6,500 more in Midleton and 3,000 further housing units in Cobh.

The developers of Fota Retail and Business Park are well known Cork property professionals, Joe Carey, Dan Mulvihill and Edward Carey.

The project is being marketed on a joint agency basis by Remax Cork and County and Lisneys.

Principal contractor: Bowen Construction Ltd

Structural Engineer: Dan Mulvihill & Associates Ltd

Quantity Surveyor : John J. Casey & Co.

Project Architect: Deady Gahan Architects

Mechanical and Electrical: Martin Buckley & Associates

Planning Consultant: RPS McHugh

Landscape Architect: PC Roche & Associates Ltd

For Further Information Contact:
Dan Mulvihill
Dan Mulvihill and Associates
021 4277363

Pat Casey, Casey Communications
021 4272224
087 2483773

(Issued May 6th 2005)

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