Business park developers can't get leases

Four companies who have invested in the €3.5 million development of a Kildare County Council business park at Knockbounce, Kilcullen, are going to 'go political' to try and 'shame' the Council into giving them their leases.



"We've been the guts of five years at this, and we're still nowhere with the Council," says Tony Gahan of Structural Concrete Bonding Services Ltd in Newbridge, who lives in Kilcullen and whose business employs 30. "I want to be able to walk to work, and I want out of Newbridge because you can't get in or out of the town."

The other companies involved are Trench Control Ltd from Naas, Murphy Surveys Ltd, and John Cradock Civil Engineering. Between them they employ 300 people, all of whom could be working out of Kilcullen.

The four businesses are technically in the position that they have made a large investment and yet have no access to the site which they have paid to develop.

"We don't know what the problem is, but it's like trying to work out how many angels can dance on the head of a pin," says Tony Gahan. "We've had meetings with officials, with the County Secretary, with the Council's solicitor. They all say to us that 'the leases are on their way'. They last told us we'd have the leases before Christmas. It's now mid-January and still no leases."

In the middle of last year the leases were to be issued 'soon'.

"We've put in roads and water services. Everything is in place, but because we can't get in there we've had to put a big concrete block in front of it to keep intruders out. I can't start because I need a lease in my hand when I go to the bank to get the money to build my premises. And everybody else is in the same situation."

At a meeting of principals of the four businesses last week it was decided that, as a last resort, they would approach local councillors and TDs, 'and anyone else who would help', to try and get the situation resolved.

"We've put in our own money, and technically we could be turfed out in the morning because we don't own anything there. We're really fed up with Kildare County Council."

Kildare County Council bought the land for the business park in the 90s at the urging of Kilcullen community leaders, when local engineering business Renley Ltd was considering leaving the town because of a shortage of space to expand.

In the end Renley didn't move from their own premises, but over the years a number of other local businesses which had committed to moving to the new site pulled out because of delays in its development.

Brian Byrne.