IDA Business Park Castlebar

MayoSalmon

Just saw an annoucement of new IDA parks in Athlone and Waterford.

The current one in Castlebar is a complete disgrace.

How is this day and age can the IDA justify building 2 new parks when a current one in Castlebar isn't even in use.

The place is completely empty, it's full of rubbish, vandelised and surrounded by travellers. We wonder why the West doesn't get jobs when our local politcians can't even sort out that mess.

Complete disgrace and I don't blame any multinational from bypassing Castlebar in favour of Westport, Sligo and Galway.

yop

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Just saw an annoucement of new IDA parks in Athlone and Waterford.

The current one in Castlebar is a complete disgrace.

How is this day and age can the IDA justify building 2 new parks when a current one in Castlebar isn't even in use.

The place is completely empty, it's full of rubbish, vandelised and surrounded by travellers. We wonder why the West doesn't get jobs when our local politcians can't even sort out that mess.

Complete disgrace and I don't blame any multinational from bypassing Castlebar in favour of Westport, Sligo and Galway.

What multinational has bypassed Castlebar for Westport out of interest?
There is almost zero large office space available in Westport and I know for a fact that small companies are pulling out of Westport for this reason.

Having Castlebar in the same category as Galway and Sligo is a bit nuts, at least compare like with like.

Westernyelp

There is not much difference between Sligo and Castlebar

yop

Westernyelp wrote: »

There is not much difference between Sligo and Castlebar

About 8-9k of a difference in population, an IT which is still be touted as been a Uni and is 3 times the size of Castlebar and an industry like Abbots that Castlebar has nothing like since Baxter has started to wind down.

The IDA park was just a token build, I'm sure who ever built it is now in NAMA and the only thing out of it is a roundabout.

Sligo is certainly closer to Castlebar than Galway a city of nearly 80,000 people.

Westernyelp

The population of Greater Castlebar is a lot closer to Sligo's, we have an IT ( smaller) Do you know something about Baxter's future plans? Abbott have also laid of staff recently enough. No argument about the business park and of course Galway is in a completely different sphere

yop

Westernyelp wrote: »

The population of Greater Castlebar is a lot closer to Sligo's, we have an IT ( smaller) Do you know something about Baxter's future plans? Abbott have also laid of staff recently enough. No argument about the business park and of course Galway is in a completely different sphere

Last census:
Castlebar town.
2011 - 10,835

Sligo Urban
2011 - 19,452


Baxter have reduced greatly their numbers in the last 2 years. Down to around 500 hundred now, I thought that Abbott had over 1000 workers in Sligo, I know they have split into 2 companies but I thought they had a big presence there.

Dudda

Travellers were on the IDA site when they brought companies to see it shortly after it opened. Not surprisingly they ran away as fast as they could. Haven't gotten anyone to look as the site as an option since as far as I know as its reputation was ruined. Remember the site was developed pre/early Celtic Tiger with a lot of other industrial estate around the town growing as it lay vacant. Nobody wanted to go into it. It's a long time like that now.

Big expansion plans for the Galway IDA business park which is a few months behind the Athlone and Waterford ones.

Westernyelp

yop wrote: »

Last census:
Castlebar town.
2011 - 10,835

Sligo Urban
2011 - 19,452


Baxter have reduced greatly their numbers in the last 2 years. Down to around 500 hundred now, I thought that Abbott had over 1000 workers in Sligo, I know they have split into 2 companies but I thought they had a big presence there.

Those pop figures have a lot to do with half of Castlebar town being outside the urban borders i reckon, either way we are in agreement on the main point.

yop

Definitely, all I see and hear is the politicians badgering on about how x wont do this and y wont do this. Drive you nuts, get the finger out and get onto the task and stop yelping about it.

finisklin

The problem is that any companies locating to Ireland are looking at Dublin first, then Cork, Limerick Waterford and so on. This is practical for obvious reasons - educated work force, infrastructure and enterprise networks/clusters related to that industry. Unfortunately Castlebar or Mayo doesn't fit the bill.

For me if Inda can't bring industry to Mayo, which he hasn't done to date, then it ain't gonna happen. He did well to save Elverys, in fairness.

The IDA has to be the biggest political football and magician act going. People think they can magic company's out of thin air to populate business parks that are new and presentable. Doesn't matter where they are.....I can't see them being filled outside of Dublin. Ireland has done well despite the worldwide recession in attracting business and industry e.g. the silicon docks.

BTW some companies in Mayo find it difficult to fill positions. I know Coca Cola and Allergan are in this boat. The educated/qualified work force ain't in it.

yop

finisklin wrote: »

The problem is that any companies locating to Ireland are looking at Dublin first, then Cork, Limerick Waterford and so on. This is practical for obvious reasons - educated work force, infrastructure and enterprise networks/clusters related to that industry. Unfortunately Castlebar or Mayo doesn't fit the bill.

For me if Inda can't bring industry to Mayo, which he hasn't done to date, then it ain't gonna happen. He did well to save Elverys, in fairness.

The IDA has to be the biggest political football and magician act going. People think they can magic company's out of thin air to populate business parks that are new and presentable. Doesn't matter where they are.....I can't see them being filled outside of Dublin. Ireland has done well despite the worldwide recession in attracting business and industry e.g. the silicon docks.

BTW some companies in Mayo find it difficult to fill positions. I know Coca Cola and Allergan are in this boat. The educated/qualified work force ain't in it.

Fully agree with that, tried to fill developer and tester positions in Castlebar over a 3 or 4 year period and it is shocking the lack of technical ability available.

P_Cash

yop wrote: »

Fully agree with that, tried to fill developer and tester positions in Castlebar over a 3 or 4 year period and it is shocking the lack of technical ability available.

Would you not think its a lack of jobs in similar roles in roughly same location. . Mayo has little or nothing for graduates. So they go else where. . And never return. .
Great to be in dublin . . Least you can job hop in same city.

yop

P_Cash wrote: »

Would you not think its a lack of jobs in similar roles in roughly same location. . Mayo has little or nothing for graduates. So they go else where. . And never return. .
Great to be in dublin . . Least you can job hop in same city.

Absolutely, that said though which was weird, was that most of the applicants weren't either from Mayo or not Irish.

Castlebar12

yop wrote: »

Last census:
Castlebar town.
2011 - 10,835

Sligo Urban
2011 - 19,452


Baxter have reduced greatly their numbers in the last 2 years. Down to around 500 hundred now, I thought that Abbott had over 1000 workers in Sligo, I know they have split into 2 companies but I thought they had a big presence there.

castlebar urban doesn't even include sprinfield and lidl and all there i is all technically breaffy and there is loads of houses there

sligo and environs - 19492
http://census.cso.ie/areaprofiles/PDF/ST/sligolegaltownanditsenvirons.pdf
castlebar and environs - 12318
http://census.cso.ie/areaprofiles/PDF/ST/castlebarlegaltownanditsenvirons.pdf
and look at the pic of sligo area in the link they just drew a massive circle around it while castlebars is kept tight to the town