Monday 27 August 2007

New €500m masterplan unveiled for sugar plant

A MASSIVE €500m redevelopment of a former Irish Sugar plant which promises to create 1,000 new jobs has been included in a special council blueprint.

Greencore last night unveiled its ambitious MallowWest master plan for the biggest single-site mixed use development attempted in an Irish town.

It follows consultation with Cork county council.

In May 2006, Greencore ended almost 80 years of Irish sugar production with the decision to shutdown its Mallow plant in North Cork in the wake of sweeping Brussels changes to the EU sugar regime.

Mallow was Ireland's sole remaining sugar facility with sister plants at Tuam, Thurles and Carlow having shut down over the previous 20 years.

Almost 300 workers lost their jobs in Mallow. But Greencore insisted that MallowWest offers the potential to create up to 1,000 new jobs in various commercial, industrial and technology projects planned for the new development.

The MallowWest project has now been included by Cork county council in its Special Local Area Plan (SLAP) for the booming North Cork town.

Greencore designers will now develop the outline blueprint for the MallowWest regeneration project in consultation with council planners and, when completed, a formal planning application will follow.

Irish Independent

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