Laois County Council are to sell a nine-acre site in their Junction 17 enterprise park in Portlaoise to a pharmaceutical company for €1.4 million.
BNL Sciences Ltd, who are based in Naas and part of the wider Caldic company, are set to buy a 3.71 hectare (just over nine acres) after the proposed sale got unanimous backing from the members of Laois County Council today.
BNL Sciences are described on their website as a “leading global distribution solutions partner of specialty chemicals and ingredients for the life science and material science markets”.
“I’m delighted to see this investment,” said Portlaoise-based councillor Catherine Fitzgerald at today’s meeting.
“What has been attracted to Laois in recent years has been down to Laois County Council. There was great foresight in buying that land and we are seeing the benefits of it now.”
“This is a really good news story,” said Cllr James Kelly in welcoming the news at today’s council meeting.
“Too many times there is negative news. Laois is open for business and is always open for business.”
Cllr John King praised the vision of former CEO John Mulholland for overseeing the purchase of the land while Cllr Ben Brennan and Cllr Paddy Bracken were also keen to complement the council official.
“That was the best investment,” said Cllr Paschal McEvoy echoing previous comments on the purchase of the Junction 17 land in 2017.
“This is an excellent deal and who negotiated this deal have done a great job – they’ve got a top price for it.”
CEO Michael Rainey said that while Laois have been lagging behind on IDA jobs, “it is a county to invest in”.
“We are still in a growth phase as a county. But it’s not just about the sale of the land – it’s about the construction jobs that it will create, the jobs that will come down the line and the rates that will come.”
He added that other companies are in negotiation with private landowners elsewhere that have serviced sites of interest.
“It’s about economic growth, regardless of the land ownership.”
Since Laois County Council originally bought the land, a number of businesses have bought sites and opened premises – including Glanbia, Kirby Engineering, Midland Steel, Alpha Drives and Kirby Engineering.
BNL Sciences have yet to confirm what their exact intentions. They are owned by Caldic, a Dutch company whose headquarters are in Rotterdam. They have a presence in 43 countries all over the world and have close to 4,000 employees.
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