Food group Greencore has unveiled plans to transform the site of its former sugar factory in Carlow into a business park and commercial and residential centre.
Carlow Gateway is a €1.1 billion plan for the 333-acre site on the edge of the town. It aims to create up to 2,000 jobs, including 400 a year during the five-to-eight-year development phase.
However, there was a lukewarm reaction to the announcement in Carlow yesterday, reflecting the anger still felt over last year's closure of the sugar factory with the loss of over 600 jobs.
Minister of State Tom Parlon led the criticism, expressing "annoyance" at the announcement when the company was still in dispute with farmers and workers over compensation payments. "I would call on Greencore to immediately drop its court action against the Minister for Agriculture, and allow former beet farmers and its former staff to move forward," he said.
Greencore has sought a judicial review of Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan's decision to allocate €47.1 million of the €145 million compensation fund to farmers and contractors.
Greencore submitted its Carlow Gateway plan in response to the county council's call for submissions from landowners for its Carlow town environs plan.
Geoff Doherty, Greencore group development director, said a 50-acre enterprise zone was a key part of the plan. Some 20 acres are earmarked for niche and emerging food-based enterprises, based on the model of the Digital Hub in Dublin. The plan also involves relocating Greencore's convenience food consumer research division from the UK.
Some 65 acres are set aside for sport and recreation as well as a mix of residential, commercial, retail and leisure units. Up to 3,000 homes in a mix of styles are planned for the site, which will also include a 35-acre riverside walkway. Mr Doherty said the plan would create "an integrated living and working community of 8,000 people".
However, Fianna Fáil TD MJ Nolan said Greencore should not be allowed "to profiteer in this cynical way" by having its lands rezoned "so they can make even more money when they eventually sell the land."
But Fine Gael Senator Fergal Browne said it was "a bit rich" for Fianna Fáil "to be shedding crocodile tears" when that party had presided over the demise of the Irish sugar industry.
IFA sugar beet chairman Peadar Jordan said the plan was confirmation of "the windfall gains" that the IFA had said would accrue to Greencore as a result of the shutdown of the Irish sugar industry.
And the deputy leader of the Green Party, Cllr Mary White, said she refused to look at the Greencore proposals until the company had implemented Labour Court recommendations for the compensation of former sugar factory workers.
Siptu's national industrial secretary, Gerry McCormack, accused Greencore of trying to use the EU compensation package to develop the site while workers were still waiting to be paid their proper redundancy entitlements.
"Greencore workers are still owed €4.4 million as part of a redundancy deal negotiated by their trade unions," he said.
Greencore rejected scepticism about the company's motivation and said these views were not "grounded in reality". Mr Doherty said it was regrettable that the sugar factory had closed but Greencore had offered "one of the best severance packages in the State". He said the company was "absolutely committed" to this project. Carlow's Chamber of Commerce and the County Enterprise Board welcomed the plan.
Carlow county manager Joe Crockett said it could take up to 10 months before any formal decision was made on the plan.