North Cork co-op Dairygold has already begun fitting out office space at the Cork Airport Business Park despite receiving a warning letter from Cork County Council that its proposed move of administration activities there would be in breach of planning.
Dairygold staff and others were yesterday involved in the installation of computers and other office equipment at the former Jetmagic offices on the top floor of Block 5100 at the Cork Airport Business Park when The Irish Times visited the premises.
According to a company spokesman, the moving in of computer equipment is part of "a kitting out" process in advance of the company's planned move of 120 administration staff from 13 different locations in Mallow and Mitchelstown.
He said that the company expected to be able to satisfy Cork County Council that the move was in line with the planning permission for the building and that it still expected to be able to start moving 40 staff on December 13th.
A Cork County Council spokesman said the council could not add to a statement issued on December 1st regarding a warning letter that it sent to Dairygold about any proposed move.
The council could not comment on the fitting out of the building by Dairygold.
In its warning letter, the council pointed out that it believed any planned move by Dairygold to the building would be in breach of the planning conditions attached to the property, which limited the type of activity that could be carried on there.
The council believes that Condition 2 of the planning permission - which states that "occupiers of the development shall be air transport, air users, or designated manufacturing or internationally trading services under the 1997 Finance Act - excludes Dairygold.
Mitchelstown-based Fianna Fáil Cllr Kevin O'Keeffe - who first questioned whether a move by the company to Cork Airport Business Park was possible under the current planning conditions - said he was stunned to hear that Dairygold was already fitting out the building.
"I'm shocked that Dairygold is continuing to fit out a building just a day after getting a warning letter from the county manager that any move would be in breach of the planning permission. It's an affront to the council's authority," he said.
"It's typical of the sort of bullish, bullying tactics adopted by Dairygold management," said Cllr O'Keeffe, adding that the proposed move was at odds with the strategy adopted by Cork County Council.
"I believe it goes against the specifics of the planning permission, but it also goes against the whole thrust and strategy of the County Development Plan to have an indigenous market-leader like Dairygold abandon two county towns for a move to the edge of the city," he said.