Contracts were today signed for the development of the new State and Department of Agriculture Laboratories in Co Kildare.
The laboratories are to be moved from their original site in Abbotstown, Co Dublin to make way for the controversial Campus Stadium Ireland (CSI). The cost of relocating the facility has been estimated at around €200 million.
The CSI has been dogged by controversy from the beginning. With strong political opposition and widely varying estimates over the cost of the project, questions have been raised over whether it will ever be completed.
This has led to speculation that the laboratory move may have been unnecessary. Many of the staff have expressed opposition to the move. Work on a €3m extension to the Abbotstown laboratories was abandoned after the announcement of the move with some €750,000 paid to the developer in compensation.
But the Minster of State Mr Cullen said today that Abbotstown was inadequate for meeting the demands of modern analytical laboratories. "The design of the new laboratories will eliminate all the shortcomings of the Abbotstown facilities," Mr Cullen said.
The Office of Public Works (OPW), who are in charge of the relocation, today announced the awarding of the contracts for building and fitting the facility which will take just under three years to complete. The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy and the Minister of State at the Department with responsibility for the OPW attended an event to mark the first step in development.
The new facility at Backweston Farm, near Celbridge will house the State and Department of Agriculture laboratories, while the Marine Institute laboratory is to be relocated to Co Galway.
The 37,500 sq m facility will accommodate nearly 400 staff and will include library, archive and conference facilitates as well as an energy centre an energy centre and greenhouse.
"The overall development is the largest ever taken on by my office," Mr Cullen said.