TDs say they hope high-tech park backers will try again

Updated: Wednesday, 20th January, 2010 4:55pm

Damien English, TD is a member of the Joint Oireachtais Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

The Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment is to be briefed on the outcome of a special hearing of TDs and senators at Carton House on Monday where the decision by Bord Pleanala to overturn Meath County Council's sanction for a new business and technology park in its grounds was discussed.

The chairman of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Willie Penrose, said the joint project proposed between NUI Maynooth and Glashrooneen Ltd for the SMART Park was impressive and while the legal decision by Bord Pleanala was a reality, he hoped the backers of the scheme would try to resolve the planning issues and resubmit new proposals for the project.

Among the attendance at this week's historic meeting of the Committee were Meath TDs Damien English (a member of the Committee), Mary Wallace, Shane McEntee and Thomas Byrne, as well as Jim O'Hare, chief executive of Intel.

In its decision last month, Bord Pleanala said that the venture would "seriously injure the setting of Carton House" and would be contrary to the proper and sustainable development of the area. It said that the proposed development, by reason of its nature, scale and location, would entirely conflict with such an objective and would interfere with the character of the landscape

The development would have seen the construction of 8,431 metres of office space of up to four storeys in height; 9,202 metres of university buildings, including a research centre, a sports science building and an innovation centre, as well as 130 apartments.

Restaurant, creche and retail facilities and 735 surface car parking spaces were also planned on the 34-hectare site on the County Meath part of the estate. Bord Pleanala noted that Meath County Council had zoned the lands for this type of scheme, but said their development would be contrary to the development plan guidelines issued to the local authority by the Department of the Environment.

It said the development of these lands would also be contrary to the regional planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area, and Meath County Council's own development plan.

Sixteen Oireachtas members of the committee attended Monday's meeting at Carton. Its chairman, Mr Penrose, said afterwards said that they were on a "fact-finding mission". He added: "There was a significant line-up of people there to impart information on the proposal to build the technology park, one of the first in Ireland if it comes to fruition."

"The project was certainly wholeheartly supported by NUI Maynooth and by Intel. The point has been made that it is Government policy to promote this kind of project, of which there are a number in Britain. Certainly, there is a case for the entrepreneurs involved to try to deal with the planning issues before them and hopefully to put forward new proposals which would meet planning requirements."

He said the Committee members would now reflect on what they had heard and bring their views to the minister.

Cllr Brian Fitzgerald, who organised the gathering, had introduced the promoters of the scheme to all of the political parties in the Dail.

"The message was got through to the Oireachtas members that this is an extremely important project, not just for Meath and Kildare, but for thwe whole country. These SMART parks are the way to go," he said.

Damien English said the Government should make it a priority to encourage the setting up of SMART parks throughout the country so that innovation and job creation could be part of the economic recovery.

He said he was very surprised that planning permission had not been approved by Bord Pleanala. "The land in question is also zoned appropriately for this type of project."

"After walking around the site, I am even more disappointed with the decision as I believe that the 1,100-acre Carton Estate is both a perfect location and setting for a SMART Park campus to be developed in an appropriate manner," he said.

He added that the Government needs to wake up to the fact that such parks that provide an opportunity for research and development in technologies and sciences are the way forward for sustainable job creation. "In Ireland, there are no such parks yet, in the UK, there are more than 60, while in Edinburgh alone there are seven such facilities. This is not good enough."