FERMOY was this week given another potential jobs boost as it emerged permission is being sought for a multi-million euro motorway service station close to the town, say The Corkman.
The application for the development, on a 4.6 acres site at junction 14 of the M8, was lodged with Cork County Council on March 8 by JR Oronco Ltd.
The directors of the company, which plans to invest in the region of €5 million in the development, are local businessmen Richie O’Flynn and Jimmy Hanlon.
The planned development will include a shop and deli, a drive-through restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a playground and picnic area and almost 120 car, truck and coach parking spaces.
It will also have 24/7 access to fuel, toilets and washing facilities, a car wash and fast charging points for electric cars.
The proposed services area will be accessible from both sides of the M8 Cork-Dublin motorway with the entrance on the N8 Fermoy to Mitchelstown Rd opposite Moorepark.
Speaking to The Corkman, Mr O’Flynn said it would be the largest development of its kind in the south of the country. He said it would be larger than the services area in Dublin Port and similar in scale to the existing one at junction 14 on the M7 motorway in Monasterevin.
“There is a considerable requirement for this type of facility on the southern stretch of the M8 motorway,” he said, adding that an investment on this scale would provide a significant boost for the local economy.
“It will create badly needed jobs during the constructions phase and create a full-time workforce of between 70-100 people when completed. That is even before you consider the additional boost the development will bring to local suppliers,” said Mr O’Flynn.
“We believe this development will set the bar in terms of services available to customers and will be a flagship for the region,” he added.
The proposed development has been given an enthusiastic welcome by Cllr Noel McCarthy, chairman of the Fermoy Business Action Group.
“Not only will this bring new jobs to Fermoy, I believe it will also attract people from the motorway into the town, providing a welcome boost to the wider local business community,” said Cllr McCarthy. Source: The Corkman
