FDBusiness.com

Fingal County Council has recently announced a new food industries park plan, set for construction on a 113-hectare site beside Dublin Airport. Fingal Co. Co. hope that ‘Food Central’ will create Irelands first dedicated food industry hub that would be on par with other science and technology parks in the country. The operation is said to emulate the Dutch food park of Honderland near Rotterdam.

Food companies from across the state have backed the idea as good for Ireland. These include fruit producers Keelings, food distribution business Donnelly’s and the UK food service company Brakes.

The major selling point of the operation according, to Fingal Co. Co., is the fact that the site is located close to Dublin Airport, Dublin Port and the M50 making it extremely accessible. One of the hope’s that Fingal Co. Co. has for the park is to capitalise on the concept of ‘co-operation’, a concept proposed in Finna Fail’s Food Harvest 2020 plan, which advocated the a need for greater sharing of resources between competing businesses.

William Keeling said the three companies currently operating at the site already share services. He believes the arrival of new businesses will generate further synergies among companies. The development is being conducted through Fingal Co. Co. with the help of DPM, project managers specialising in the food industry, Brady Shipman Martin, planning and landscape specialists, Arup engineers and commercial development consultants Finnegan Menton.

According to the Irish Times Fingal county manager David O’Connor said the initiative would build on Fingal’s strong food heritage.