The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Council green light to transform Denny site
THE ambitious plan for the transformation of the former Denny factory site in Tralee took a major step forward on Monday when members of the Tralee Municipal District council voted to formally approve the proposals.
The landmark 2.3-acre site at the Island of Geese was donated to the people of Tralee by Kerry Group in March 2014 shortly before the dissolution of Tralee Town Council.
Last February Kerry County Council and the Tralee Municipal District unveiled plans for the site including a three-storey office block; a large park and ‘public realm’ area featuring a children’s play area; public seating and a ‘shallow amphitheatre’ with curved seating.
The master plan was subsequently sent out for a period of public consultation which drew to a close on May 15.
Having considered the public submissions – of which 25 were made from individuals and various bodies –council management brought the plan before Tralee MD councillors on Monday recommending they grant permission and seeking their final approval.
Monday’s meeting heard further details about aspects of the plan in particular the new office block that is set to form a key part of the area’s development.
The building – to be spread over three and half stories – will be designed to accommodate around 200 to 250 workers and will be designed to meet ‘Grade A’ office standards for ‘flexibility’ and ‘efficiency.
In response to concerns from residents and business owners on Gas Terrace (leading into Garvey’s carpark) that the office block would overshadow the lane the plans were revised with an upper storey cut back to allow sunlight reach the street.
Several submissions questioned the need for an office block to included as part of the site’s redevelopment as, the individuals making the submissions argued, there are already more than enough available office spaces in the town.
In response, council management said that a recent survey of available office space – carried out in May 2020 as part of an ‘Atlantic Economic Corridor’ project’ – had found there were only 10 offices available to rent in Tralee.
According to the survey, these were mainly privately owned, ‘traditional’ offices over retail units.
Management added that there are currently no large ‘Grade A’ office facilities available to rent anywhere in Kerry.
While there would appear to be far more than 10 office spaces available in Tralee (based on even a quick walk around the town centre) it is correct to say Tralee town centre lacks a large, available office facility.
Fine Gael Councillor Jim Finucane said the council should now focus on finding a suitable high profile tenant for the planned office development, identifying companies like Microsoft and services company Accenture as the type of firms that should be targeted.
“It’s all about how we sell and market it,” he said.
“We need to get off the blocks quickly and market this aggressively,” Cllr Finucane
said.
A further submission was also made by An Garda Siochana who raised concerns that workers in the new office block would be able to see into Tralee Garda Station which is on an adjacent site only a short distance away.
To prevent this obscured glass will be installed in three specific windows on the third floor of the office block.
With both aspects of the plan – the public space area and the office block – receiving unanimous backing from the seven Tralee councillors the next step is to send the plans to tender. This is expected to occur in the coming months.