Council land sold to distillery for potential expansion

Offaly County Council will net almost €900,000 from the sale of two plots of land to William Grant and Sons for future expansion of their distillery business.

At their January meeting, members approved the sale of almost 20 acres of council-owned land at Clonminch to William Grant and Sons which Director of Services, Tom Shanahan, said would give the company “adequate lands for future expansion of their distillery business at this location".

The meeting heard that the first plot of land measures 9.097 acres and is to be disposed of for a fee of €50,000 per acre by the council, with a total value of €454,850.

The second plot, measuring 10.41 acres, is to be sold for €40,000 per acre, with a total value of €416,400.

Mr Shanahan told the council meeting that the lands in question, which are zoned as enterprise and employment on the County Development Plan, are part of a total council-owned land bank of approximately 40 acres in Clonminch. He pointed out that the remaining lands have “direct access” to the Clonminch Road and are “strategically located to provide further development opportunities and facilitate future strategic development “ in south Tullamore.

“William Grant and Sons located between both plots of land and the council will still own the remaining 20 acres which, in time, will be for development,” said the Director of Services.

Cllr Declan Harvey asked if any of the funds from the sale of the lands to William Grant and Sons could be directed towards the Municipal District, but he was told by Tom Shanahan that the proceeds from the sale would “in general” be used to purchase other lands for development purposes.

There was widespread support from elected members for the plan to sell the plots of land, with Cllr Neil Feighery stating that the distillery facility in Clonminch is “a fantastic facility” for Tullamore and Cllr Sean O'Brien adding that it was “a great initiative” by the council. “The fact that this company want to buy more land from the council for expansion is very, very good news for Tullamore,” he said.

However, Cllr O'Brien wanted to know if some of the funds from the land sale could be used for the construction of an industrial park in Tullamore, which he said was “badly needed” as a means of attracting more investment into the town.

Also at the January meeting, members approved the renewal of a lease on the old fire station building at Chapel Lane, Daingean, to the Daingean Grand Canal Wheelers Cycling Club for a five-year team.

The meeting was told that the new lease was due to commence on January 1 for a period of five years at a a rent fee of €1 per annum. The tenant is to be responsible for repairs to both the internal and external part of the building during the lease period, but Director of Services, Tom Shanahan, said normally there is “no obligation for a tenant to put the premises in any better state of repair than it is at the commencement of the lease.” The site is zoned as 'town centre/mixed use' in the current County Development Plan.