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The vacant former Avon site in Portarlington, now the Canal Road Business Park. Photo: Google Maps
Portarlington in Laois is set to see jobs flourish again on the former Avon factory site, with the purchase of three plots of land by businesses for a total of €760,000 plus VAT.
One buyer is the longstanding local hardware business Fletchers, and the second is a rapid build construction company from Derry.
Laois County Council is selling off three of its four serviced sites in Canal Road Business Park, the new name of the long vacant Avon site.
The council had bought 6 acres of the land for €500,000 and is installing roads and services to create four sites, thanks to nearly €1m in Just Transition funding. The site is across the road from St Patrick's Boys NS, and next to Lidl and Odlums flour mills.
Map of the four Laois County Council serviced business sites in Canal Road Business Park, Portarlington.
The aim is to attract businesses and provide more local jobs in Portarlington, the second largest town in Laois at nearly 10,000 residents, with many commuting daily to Dublin.
John Fletcher Ltd, The White House, Main Street Portarlington will buy the 0.53 hectare site D for €260,000 plus VAT.
McVey Properties Ltd, Magherafelt, Derry will buy sites A and B, a total of 1.198 hectares, for €500,000 plus VAT. The company specialises in the sale and hire of modular accommodation across the UK and Ireland.
Cllr Aidan Mullins proposed both sales, at the September meeting of Laois County Council.
“I compliment the staff in the council for this good news story for development of that industrial area. There will be quite a few jobs created, well done,” he said.
Cllr Vivienne Phelan seconded the sale to McVeys, and Cllr Seamus McDonald seconded the sale to Fletchers.
Read also: Laois Offaly nature amenity wins award
The Avon factory once employed up to 1,200 people making cosmetics and jewellery.
It closed in 2000 and was demolished after a devastating fire in the vacant building in 2014. The site had to be later cleansed of toxic chemicals dumped by the US manufacturer.
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