Portarlington is set to get a business park after it was announced that €1 million has been allocated to transform the old Avon premises.
The site, located on Canal Road, Portarlington, which has been idle, is to be developed as a business park.
The Avon Arlington factory in Portarlington opened in the late 1970s and formally closed in April, 2000.
Cancer-causing chemicals were found at the site in 2020, 20 years after the factory shut its doors.
Work took place to clear this up with the Environmental Protection Agency previously saying that these are stable and shrinking.
In November 2023, Independent Councillor Aidan Mullins confirmed that Laois County Council had purchased the site for €500,000.
Speaking following the news today, Cllr Mullins said he hopes this will bring economic prosperity to Portarlington.
He said: “I welcome the announcement today that funding to develop this site has been confirmed.
“I brought former CEO John Mulholland over to Portarlington some years ago and when the Avon site became available, in fairness to him, he jumped at the opportunity.
“The Environmental Protection Agency have done great work to make the site safe and they are still working on a portion of it.
“I believe Laois County Council have first option on that part when it becomes safe also.
“I am really delighted to see this happening and believe it will benefit the town in terms of job creation and economic prosperity.”
In total, €6 million of Community Support Funding has been awarded to 10 community-led projects in the Midlands under the EU Just Transition Fund Programme.
The project for the development of the Canal Road Business Park in Portarlington was awarded through a third competitive call for proposals in the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme (LRESSS).
LRESS is co-funded by the Government and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund programme.
Fine Gael TD Willie Aird hopes that the project will ‘provide targeted support to boost the resilience of communities and the economic fabric of the wider Midlands’.
Deputy Aird envisages that projects such as development of the Canal Road Business Park in Portarlington approved for funding will deliver significant benefits to the region.
He said: This includes: investments in enhancing the circular economy, such as through waste prevention, reduction, resource efficiency, reuse, repair and recycling.
“The preservation, repurposing and refurbishment of local infrastructure and heritage assets – for use as enterprise spaces;
“And the support to green technologies, including renewable energy and sustainable energy practices.”
Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming also welcomed the news. He said: “Everybody knows Avon was a big employer in Portarlington many years ago.
“It is important that this site be redeveloped to provide new employment in the area for the future.
“Laois County Council will have the key role in bringing this project to fruition and I urge them, now that funding has been provided by the Government, to move ahead as quickly as possible.
“This funding is provided under the EU Just Transition Fund Programme.
“It is important that everybody in the Midlands area gets maximum benefit from these substantial funds and especially Portarlington as the major project in the Laois area.
“I am asking the Council to draw up a clear timetable for the redevelopment of this substantial site in Portarlington.
“When this timetable is in place to start marketing the site and talking to businesses so they will be ready to move in immediately when the centre has been developed.
“It is important to attract new businesses and employment to the area.”
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