Ardan land rezoned for second IDA park

By Rebekah O'Reilly and Tadhg Carey

A 29-hectare landbank at Ardan will be rezoned for a second IDA Business and Technology Park in Tullamore following approval by way of a variation to the Offaly County Development Plan.

The land in question is to the east of the N52 Tullamore bypass and close to the Ardan Roundabout, and was purchased by IDA Ireland last year.

The land previously unzoned will be rezoned as 'Business or Technology Park' under the adoption of a major variation to the Offaly County Development Plan, which will increase residential zoning across the county while also providing for a number of other strategic changes.

Proposed Variation No. 1 of the Offaly County Development Plan 2021-2027 was approved by Offaly County Council under Section 58 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (as amended) following consideration of the Chief Executive’s Report, environmental assessments and public submissions.

Offaly County Council noted the existing IDA Business and Technology Park at Srah is "almost at full capacity".

In December last, the IDA confirmed the acquisition of a landbank in Tullamore for the new Business and Technology Park with the support of Offaly County Council.

At the time, the IDA said the acquisition "aligned to IDA Ireland’s core objective to enable and deliver a competitive property offering which supports balanced regional economic investments, winning Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and the growth and expansion of indigenous clients within the Enterprise Ireland portfolio".

IDA Ireland’s current strategy Adapt Intelligently: A Strategy for Sustainable Growth and Innovation 2025-29, outlines the policy of partnering with local authorities for the delivery of advance planning permits for buildings in regional locations.

Now, a new report by Offaly County Council has said that the re-zoning of this strategic landbank "would assist in facilitating potential future IDA economic development and attract additional foreign direct investment into Tullamore, a Key Town".

"It is envisaged that the proposed lands would accommodate high-quality, future-focused employment opportunities in sectors such as Med-Tech, FinTech, ICT, Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering.

"It is intended that the inclusion of this strategic landbank would allow Tullamore to maintain its strong jobs-to-resident workforce ratio of 1.33 as per the 2022 Census and ensure that employment growth is strengthened, in alignment with the increase targeted housing supply and projected population growth for Offaly in the short to medium term."

The decision to rezone the land concerned comes despite Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) calling for the rezoning of the land for the business park to be omitted from the variation, and concerns being expressed by both the National Transport Authority (NTA) and the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR).

TII argued the rezoning had the potential to adversely affect the planned delivery of the N52 Kilbeggan to Tullamore Link, a key national project under the National Development Plan and that the lands were remote from the town, appeared difficult to serve by active travel measures, and would lend itself to car-dominated transport.

The NTA, in a submission, questioned the inclusion of the proposed ‘Business and Technology Park’ zoning in the absence of any short to medium-term plans under the Tullamore Local Transport Plan to integrate the site within the established built-uparea of Tullamore.

The OPR called on the council to 'review' the proposed zoning to ensure compatibility with the delivery and implementation of the proposed N52 Kilbeggan to Tullamore Link Road,

In response, Offaly County Council said the proposed route of the Tullamore to Kilbeggan Link is effectively “fixed” for the 2km section north of the Ardan roundabout.

It noted that the proposed N52 Kilbeggan to Tullamore link road would be designed to a Type 2 Dual Carriageway standard.

It said the 2km of the N52 north of the Ardan Roundabout was designed and constructed, as part of the N52 Tullamore by-pass scheme, as a wide single carriageway, and "requires little modification to bring it to Type 2 Dual Carriageway standard".

It added that direct access to the proposed dual carriagway would not be possible from the proposed zoned lands, with access instead from adjoining local roads.

The council said it would ensure any proposed development on the zoned lands would be "supported by appropriate assessments of road capacity, junction structure and provision of suitable transport alternatives".

The council would also ensure that capacity enhancements and/or traffic management measures be put in place to facilitate new development.