Related Stories

• All eyes on Carrignavar woman as new Operation Transformation series gets underway
  
  
• No funding for someone to lock cemetery gates
  
  
• Lismore Courthouse Theatre suffers water damage
  
  
• Sherlock welcomes broadband rollout in schools
  
  
• House ransacked in Castlelyons burglary
  
  
• HSE and GAA in Cork help tackle stress
  
  
• Minister Hayes warns on scam re Revenue refunds
  
  
• Mitchelstown CBS students tour Glennon Brothers sawmill
  
  
• Why employers will be hoping employees give up smoking this January
  
  
• Cutting the carbon footprint – Mitchelstown schools join forces with the WOW factor!
  
  
• UCC to weather storm at climate change event in Cork
  
  
• Senator Gilroy in Fermoy to muster support for European bid
  
  

Fermoy has the facilities and infrastructure to attract new industry to the North Cork town, Cllr Michael Hanley believes.

It's not infrastructure or premises that are lacking, but the will to bring new industry to Fermoy to provide jobs, local councillor Michael Hanley believes.

He was reacting to a recent report in the Irish Times detailing plans by the IDA to build new regional manufacturing bases in areas where the private sector is unable to provide the facilities needed to attract foreign investment. Fermoy has the infrastructure, the motorway's around it to Dublin and Cork and the proximity to Cork with its port and third level educational facilities, Cllr. Hanley stressed.

He is now appealing to the IDA and the Government "To take a more serious approach to towns like Fermoy who have been hugely supportive of them."

STRONG ATTRACTION

The former mayor pointed out that Fermoy Enterprise Board, which he founded in 1986 and is chairman of, was successful in attracting industries such as SCI with 1,400 jobs, Metropolitan Life and Berg Electronics with 1,500 new jobs, to the town. They had plans, with support, to create two Centres of Excellence, one on the Cork Road and the other at Mill Island.

"We didn't go out trumpeting our achievements but we were convinced of our ability to sustain new industry," he said of the volunteer enterprise group. For every job that was created, another spinoff job came about, they believed, though the IDA estimated spinoff benefit as more like three jobs for every new job created.

"We met and made our case for those industries to come to Fermoy. We did everything we could do to persuade companies to come into town. We beat other, bigger towns, so we must have had something good to offer. We never had any complaints from companies or the IDA," he said.

Cllr. Hanley said he accepts that the world has changed, especially manufacturing, but he is still vey annoyed that the ball was dropped in manufacturing in favour of smart technology. "I don't and will never accept that was the right way to go. Some people will never be employed in smart technology," he commented, saying that, as such, there will always be a need for different types of industry.

LOOKING AHEAD

Local government has been dealt a mortal blow with the abolition of town councils, he said, and Minister Phil Hogan has failed to explain to the mass of sacked town councillors how the new system of regional authorities is going to work. The Town Hall will be going into Cork County Council ownership, he pointed out, saying he thinks Fermoy should be paid back the money spent to refurbish it.

"Retail can't feed off retail. Industry is needed for the solid progression of the town. We have shown we can handle significant industry well," he said.

He strongly disagrees with Fermoy being considered 'Cork' for the purposes of the IDA's Regional Gateway focus, as outlined to him back in 2011 by the IDA's Chief Executive, Barry O'Leary.

Cllr. Hanley indicated that the Enterprise Board will be inviting in all candidates in the local elections in May and asking them what they plan to do to help bring new jobs to Fermoy. "We want to revive Fermoy and march with those who can deliver," he concluded.

blog comments powered by Disqus