200,000 sq ft built at Blanchardstown

UP to 200,000 sq ft of new buildings have already been committed out of the one million sq ft planned for Blanchardstown Corporate Park in north-west Dublin. Negotiations with buyers and tenants for a large part of the remainder of the development, which offers warehousing and office space, are under way. It is estimated that the completed development value will exceed £100 million and create up to 2,000 jobs.

The park is near the Ballycoolin cross-roads, just north of the Blanchardstown Shopping Centre. It is adjacent to land owned by the IDA and multinational companies such as IBM and Rank Xerox. Rental costs for the units are from £6 per sq ft for warehouse space; office space starts at £12.

The park has been developed by Stemple Holdings, which bought the site two years ago. Stemple's Aidan Harrison has also been involved in developing the Bluebell Business Centre and the Palmerstown Business Centre.

The developers are about to start construction on a three-storey, 30,000 sq ft office block, on a landscaped setting adjacent to the main entrance. Meanwhile, building has also begun on a block comprising 100,000 sq ft, which will target software/tele-marketing operations. About half of the space will be for offices.

The 60 acres in the park will have 16 different pre-planned sites ranging in size from 5,000 sq ft to 200,000 sq ft. The developers have also bought another piece of land and this will accommodate a further 500,000 sq ft of buildings.

Two of the commercial sites were pre-sold to owner-occupiers. Begleys, the fresh produce distributors, bought more than 40,000 sq ft of chilled warehouse and office space. IBER Materials, which distributes Spanish ceramics and tiles, bought more than two acres. Another occupier is MTI, which manufactures data storage systems for banks and airlines. It has taken 30,000 sq ft, including 15,000 sq ft of offices.

Irish-based Chilled Groupage International, a food export and transport company, is building a large chilled and frozen warehouse facility at the park.

There will be an on-site creche, coffee shop and video surveillance system. Mr David Agar of Commercial Property Consultants, who oversaw the planning of the site's development, said 30 per cent of the infrastructural budget has been spent on landscape and design to date.