McCarthy - Empty IDA park in Fermoy ‘an absolute disgrace’
THE IDA is to once again be asked to explain why, more than 14-years after it was built, the Business and Technology Park in Fermoy is still lying idle.
The 19-acre park, which was one famously described by former Sinn Fein town councillor Seamus Coleman as “little more than a picnic site”, was opened to much fanfare in 2002.
However, not a single business has been built on the site, much to the frustration of local county councillors, including Fine Gael’s Noel McCarthy.
He intends to raise the issue in a motion at next Monday’s meeting of Cork County Council’s northern area committee, seeking an update from the IDA on their future plans for the park.
Speaking to the Corkman ahead of Monday’s meeting Cllr McCarthy said he felt the IDA had “let Fermoy down badly” by failing to bring clients to the park.
“To be frank it is nothing short of an absolute disgrace to still see the site lying idle after all these years. Its gone way beyond the joke at this stage,” fumed Cllr McCarthy.
“Over the years we have been assured the IDA has been working to bring clients to the site but the bottom line is that nothing has happened there. It is still empty and there is little sign to suggest that this will change anytime soon,” he added.
Cllr McCarthy said it was imperative that the IDA give a detailed break down of any expressions of interest in the site, why they had not come to fruition and what action officials intended to take to attract new business to the park.
“If needs be, I will insist that the IDA come to one of our meetings to explain the situation. We have had enough of the empty promises and the excuses that have been trotted out in the past,” he said.
Cllr McCarthy said that it was frustrating to see IDA sites in other parts of the county, in particular those closer to Cork City, occupied while the one in Fermoy is still empty.
“While I congratulate the IDA on the role they played in bringing ABEC to Fermoy, I feel that there is so much more that can and should be done to bring more companies to the town. Particularly given the fact that the technology park is in such a prime location close to a major road network,” he said.
“Like any town of its size Fermoy needs jobs to ensure that local commerce is allowed to flourish. I will be demanding to know whey the town is not getting its fair share of the pie,” he concluded.