Knocknacarra meeting may yield jobs initiative

A meeting over the coming weeks between Jobs Minister, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, and representatives of the Knocknacarra area could be the catalyst for a new jobs initiative, it has been claimed.

Councillor Donal Lyons told the Galway City Tribune that there was ‘an overwhelming case’ to be made ‘on a number of fronts’ for an industrial hub to be established in the Knocknacarra-Rahoon area.

He said that it ‘made perfect’ sense for a rebalancing of industrial locations from the east side of the city to the west, given the current 18,000 population of the greater Knocknacarra area.

The former Mayor of the city, said that already, he and Deputy Noel Grealish, had a meeting with senior IDA representatives – including the West Area Manager, Catherina Blewitt.

“I would have to say, that so far, the reaction to our campaign to secure more industry for the area, has met with a very positive response.

“We have 50 to 60 acres of land in the Rahoon, Knocknacarra area, that’s zoned as industrial –  if we work on that and push our case strongly, I feel that the campaign will deliver results,” said Cllr Lyons.

The current City Development Plan contains provision for the location of industry in the area and now Cllr Lyons is pinning his hopes on a successful meeting with Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Minister, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, due to take place over the next couple of weeks.

“While there is a general consensus that the whole strategy of locating new industries on the west side of the city is a very viable and desirable proposition, we need to get the project kick-started over the coming year. This is far more than just being aspirational,” said Cllr. Lyons.

He added that it was critically important for the industrial zoned site at Rahoon to be preserved for the location of enterprises into the future.

Currently, there is only major industrial outlet in the area – Zeltiq Aesthetics, located in the old Connacht Laundry building – which employs about 60 people.

The company – involved in what is described as ‘non-invasive’ cooling and freezing of fat cells – has since been taken over by the giant Allergan group, who employ around 1,100 people in Westport.

Cllr Lyons said that while there had been many positive advances as regards the Knocknacarra area in terms of educational, retail and commercial developments, the ‘missing link’ really was a local industry cluster that would provide jobs for the area.

“It’s not alone Knocknacarra but also the greater region from Barna and further west that would reap the benefits of an industrial hub being provided in this area.

“It doesn’t make sense to have such a major population centre on the west side, with hardly any industrial jobs, while at the same time, thousands of people traverse the city each day from west to east and vice versa,” said Cllr Lyons.