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Conditional approval has been granted to Kilworth-based JR Oronco for the construction of a Motorway Service Area at Junction 14 at Moorepark, Fermoy.

Conditional approval has been granted to Kilworth-based JR Oronco for the construction of a Motorway Service Area at Junction 14 at Moorepark, Fermoy. The application was deemed to be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area by Cork County Council.

Full permission is to be granted subject to 36 conditions, provided no appeal is made to An Bord Pleanála within the statutory time for the making of such appeals.

JR Oronco said this week that such a facility would provide 100 jobs during the construction phase while creating a full-time workforce of between 80 and 90 people. It is hoped that the building phase of the facility would commence in late 2015 with completion expected for the summer of 2016.

Cork County Council said the proposed development ‘will not unacceptably undermine the role of Fermoy Town centre core retail, will not be unduly visually intrusive and will not constitute an unacceptable environmental threat to the area or to its amenities’.

JR Oronco previously made a similar application at the same site in 2013 for an off-line MSA facility. This application was refused by An Bord Pleanála in January 2014 as it was deemed premature pending the updating of the National Service Area policy by the NRA as well as the formulation of an appropriate planning policy for MSA’s by Cork County Council.

JR Oronco have said that these policies, on which they were initially refused, have now been amended. A feature in the New NRA Service Area policy was the already close proximity of the Amber Service Station to the M8. A JR Oronco spokesperson stated that ‘while the NRA recognises such stations that are close to the motorway, they do not fulfil the criteria as set out by the NRA in being within a few hundred meters of the dual carriageway’.

The planned project involves the construction of a Motorway Service Area to include a shop/restaurant building, forecourt and fuel facilities for both cars and HCV’s. The facility will also include picnic, external seating/amenity areas, set-down spaces along with 104 car parking areas, three coaches and 12 HCV parking areas with security controlled barriers. A new entrance and roundabout will be constructed serving both the MSA and the Teagasc facility at Moorepark.

Commenting on decision to The Avondhu, a spokesperson for JR Oronco said: "The requirement for this type of facility on the southern stretch of the M8 motorway is clearly identified by Cork County Council and the NRA. The area has been at a disadvantage for some time now and this development will assist in putting Fermoy back into motorist’s minds.

“With an investment in the region of €5-6m we are confident that this project will provide a significant boost to the local economy. It will create approximately 100 badly needed jobs during the construction stage while creating a full time workforce of between 80 and 90 people.

“It will also provide an additional boost for local suppliers. The new station area will be built on a 4.8 acre site and will set the bar in terms of services available to customers. It will be a flagship for the region, operating 24hrs a day 7 days a week.”

JR Oronco Ltd is owned and operated by local businessmen Richie O'Flynn and James Hanlon, both of whom reside in Kilworth. James Hanlon operates a Pump Services Business while Richie O'Flynn operates South Coast Logistics in Fermoy.

A similar application for a Motorway Service Area, made by Applegreen Service Areas Ltd for Junction 13 near Mitchelstown, was last week refused planning permission on the two grounds.

The Planning Authority considers that the proposed location at Fermoy (JR Onco site) is the preferred location in overall planning terms, and that the development of a second facility within the Mitchelstown greenbelt would be contrary to national policy and the Cork County Development plan, and contrary to the proper sustainable planning and development of the area’.

Furthermore, the Planning Authority said there is ‘considerable risk’ to the source of the main bore-well for Mitchelstown South water supply if such a development goes ahead.

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