*Roche, Photograph: Martin Connolly
CLARE County Council is working with Roche and State enterprise agencies to promote the former Roche site in Clarecastle to potential investors.
The update was given in response to a question from Mayor of Ennis Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) at the September meeting of Clare County Council.
Cllr Guilfoyle asked what proactive measures the council was undertaking to facilitate Roche in the sale of its Clarecastle site.
He said securing a replacement quality employer and a substantial ratepayer was crucial to the local economy following Roche’s departure from the county.
In a written response, Director of Finance, Investment and Enterprise Noleen Fitzgerald said the council recognised the strategic importance of the former Roche site because of its location and potential to support future economic activity and employment.
The site is identified as an opportunity site in the Clare County Development Plan and as a transformational site in the Ennis 2040 strategy.
Ms Fitzgerald said this reflected its significance as a substantial landholding with existing services, infrastructure and connectivity.
Members of the Clare County Council Senior Team are represented on a working group established with the Roche senior team.
Through this structure, the council continues to engage with Roche on the future of the site, including supporting its repositioning and promotion for potential investment.
The council’s Investment and Economic Development teams are also highlighting the site in engagements with national enterprise agencies including IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.
Ms Fitzgerald said the council had facilitated the development and publication of a promotional brochure highlighting the key attributes of the site.
The site has also been referenced in presentations and discussions with visiting companies and country representatives, with its location, services and potential for future enterprise development being promoted.
Cross-directorate teams in areas including biodiversity, environment and housing, as well as the Ennis Municipal District, continue to engage directly with Roche on matters relating to the site.
The Town Centre First Team is also linked with the Clarecastle community group and Roche in relation to supporting the community in delivering its community plan.
Ms Fitzgerald said the council would continue to work with Roche, State agencies and potential investors to support the identification of an appropriate future use for the site.
The objective, she said, was to secure quality employment opportunities, strengthen the commercial rates base and support the wider economic resilience of Clarecastle and County Clare.
The council has also scheduled engagement with elected members and IDA Ireland in the coming weeks to discuss the agency’s wider role in supporting enterprise investment and economic development opportunities in the county.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Guilfoyle thanked the council for what he described as a “very informative and very proactive” response.
He said the Roche site was a key site for the Ennis Municipal District.
Cllr Guilfoyle said he wanted to see a quality employer brought to a site “that has everything for someone to bring a facility to”.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
