Arklow, which has 200 acres of undeveloped land in its urban district, is ripe for new commercial and residential projects.
However, at present it has no sewage treatment works and the water supply needs to be improved. These problems need to be addressed before further large scale building goes ahead. The town extends down a long meandering route with varying streetscapes, some of which would benefit from freshening up. The big bonus for shoppers to date has been the completion of the Arklow bypass last year. "Since the bypass was completed, the retail trade has increased a lot with people coming from outlying areas to shop," says Thomas Hickson, an Arklow retailer. Currently, there are two major supermarkets, Tesco and Pettitts on the Wexford road and the German retailer, Lidl, has planning permission to build another supermarket starting in September. In terms of industry, Mercury Engineering Ltd (through its property company, Reville Ltd) is the project which will most change the town. Its plans include the development of 60 acres for industrial/business use, 250 houses, a hotel, a small commercial centre and possibly an outreach college to the south of the town. Jobs for up to 4,700 people are expected over a 10-year period.
The developers are also proposing to build a new road which will link the N11 to the Arklow port access road, which would also pass close to the CRH Roadstone quarry near the coast.
As the Dublin to Rosslare train route passes through the site, there are also proposals to have a new rail stop to provide direct access for employees and residents. Arklow has plenty of other land zoned for industry, some of which remains unoccupied and undeveloped. The IDA business park, for instance, has a 2,500 sq ft advance factory ready for occupation and a 200-acre site to the north of the town awaits development.
Tony O'Neill, development officer with Wicklow County Council, claims there are many industries keen to relocate to the area from south Dublin and north Wicklow.
"Previously, companies were reluctant to move outside of Dublin for fear of losing key workers. Now the availability and affordability of houses (a new three-bedroom semi-detached house costs £140,000) and the easy access to beaches, mountains and golf courses makes this an attractive option."
THE docks area of Arklow has seen limited development recently, including a quayside apartment complex and a new marina, which is to have another apartment complex built around it.
There are 1,100 house units at pre-planning stage in Arklow. 200 new houses were built in 1999 and approximately 100 are currently under construction or have been given planning permission. A £2 million swimming-pool was completed and opened last year. With a population of almost 9,000, Arklow has been designated a secondary growth centre in the National Development Plan.
