Sir, – We are a medium-sized Dublin-based Irish-owned company operating out of Baldoyle Industrial Estate. Over the past 23 years we have seen our business grow to a good size, employing in excess of 50 people and contract to its current size of 30 employees. In the good times we reinvested all our profits in people and buildings to grow our business, while other companies took out all profits for personal gain. Recently, we had need to contract further and move part of our manufacturing department into our distribution warehouse. The move has left us with an empty warehouse of considerable size and three employees facing the chop.
As one of our products is indoor flooring for sports purposes we considered adapting this warehouse to suit indoor football and such like. As there are in excess of six sporting organisations operating in Baldoyle Industrial Estate, we did not foresee a problem with planning. Out of courtesy we contacted Fingal County Council to inform it of our plans to not only develop a new sporting enterprise completely unaided financially by our pathetic banking system, but the retention of three jobs and creation of three more.
To our dismay Fingal County Council informed us that it would not support and indeed would block any move by ourselves to set up our venture. Its reasoning was that Baldoyle Industrial Estate is zoned for industrial purposes only and is not suitable for recreational activities. We pointed out, with the aid of our local TD, that the largest badminton club in Leinster is located in our estate as well as gymnastics, kickboxing, keep-fit and other sporting clubs. Add to this the closure of more than 20 per cent of total businesses and warehousing in Baldoyle Industrial Estate we were amazed at the attitude of these civil servants who hold our futures in their hands. We now have three great employees heading for the dole queue instead of the company being able to take on three more.
A flat No followed our meeting with a representative of Fingal County Council.
Pretty unbelievable, isn’t it? – Yours, etc,