Cllr Noel McCarthy said this week he’s gratified at the groundswell of political support his proposal to site the new Beet Ireland sugar factory in north Cork has received.

“I was the first in the region to identify a site for the proposed sugar factory, namely the Kilworth site, previously earmarked for a prison which is still in state ownership,” he pointed out.

He said that when he first mooted the idea many of his contemporaries considered it ‘pie in the sky’ or ‘kite flying’ but now support for a site in the county was gaining momentum.

“I welcome the statement by my colleague Minister Sean Sherlock who contacted Beet Ireland regarding the promotion of a sugar factory for the area,” he said, adding: “It’s imperative that all communities on the N8 corridor through north and east Cork work collectively to maximise the pressure through every political, economic and social forum in the region to ensure no stone is left unturned in the fight to secure this for the region, representing as it does such enormous potential if located here.”

He concluded by saying he will work with any individual ‘anytime, anywhere in the promotion of this project’.

“I will continue to pursue the issue with Cork County Council who will ultimately be the planning authority if the project is to be secured for an area off the N8 corridor.”