FUNDING BOOST FOR HUB PLANS
€1.4million allocated to project
A CONTENT creation hub planned for the Wicklow County Campus in Rathnew has secured funding of €1.43 million under the Government’s Regional Enterprise Development Fund.
The planned hub will complement the film industry, with a particular focus on Ashford Studios and Ardmore Studios.
The overall cost of the project is around €3 million, including capital and other costs. Wicklow County Council applied for €1.9 million and has been approved €1.4 million. The remainder will be matched by Wicklow County Council.
The Content Creation Enterprise Hub will provide 10,000sq ft of private and co-working spaces and is hoped will boost job creation in the content creation sector and spin out services feeding into these industries.
It will also offer a collaborative social space, conference centre, podcast studio and screening facility along with access to a range of existing meeting rooms and training facilities on the larger Clermont campus.
The hub will include the courtyard buildings, the second floor of the existing campus building and the chapel, which will be refurbished and renovated. It will also include a newly-built two-floor extension to the courtyard buildings.
Frank Curran, Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, said: ‘We welcome the announcement by the Minister of the approval of our application. This is a really positive development for Wicklow County Campus. It’s also positive for the future growth of a strong local screen industry. Stakeholders and development agencies as well as training providers in this sector have been widely consulted and are extremely supportive of this innovative project.
‘We’re aiming to start construction this year in order to open the hub in 2021,’ Mr Curran said.
The site also has the capacity for further development in the future to expand the content creation hub in time.
Minister of State Andrew Doyle has also welcomed the announcement.
‘I am delighted to see Clermont Enterprise Hub has been successful and will receive funding under the Regional Enterprise Development Fund. This project is centered around a Hub that will provide a central one stop shop for the content creative sector, where all the necessary supports are available to both early stage and established screen content entrepreneurs and companies to assist with scaling and internationalisation. This news comes at a time when we now have the highest number of IDA-supported jobs in the regions ever,’ said Minister Doyle.