Braun Factory

Bagenal

I heard on the KCLR news this morning that the Braun factory has been sold, has anyone any clues as to who bought it?
It would be brilliant news to see a business starting up in it and creating much needed jobs.

Agent Coulson

That is good news for the town.

Carlow could be in line for another significant jobs announcement if another big business can be attracted to the former Braun site.

It has been confirmed that the site has been bought by a private developer and the IDA has visited in recent weeks to assess plans to develop it.

Local TD Pat Deering says its more good news for Carlow and that an announcement on it should be made within the next fortnight.

http://kclr96fm.com/possible-jobs-boost-for-carlow-as-braun-site-purchased

There was talk last year that Boston Scientific & Stobarts had both viewed the site.

brianblaze

Also word that an investor is buying the old Lapple building to turn it into offices

road_high

Hopefully something good as it's a fine facility.

brianblaze

Rumor is a Tesco petrol station but I doubt that

Bagenal

brianblaze wrote: »

Rumor is a Tesco petrol station but I doubt that

It'd be a fair auld size of a petrol station :eek:

road_high

Bagenal wrote: »

It'd be a fair auld size of a petrol station :eek:

I really hope not. That would be a criminal use of a site like this. What's needed is blue chip investment like traded services, pharma, etc.
not a foreign retailer selling petrol with a havdful of min wage jobs.

Agent Coulson

With a TD and IDA name checked in the above quote I'd be hopeful that it is more than a petrol station.

This is all coming out before the by-election as well.

fits

Agent Coulson wrote: »

With a TD and IDA name checked in the above quote I'd be hopeful that it is more than a petrol station.

This is all coming out before the by-election as well.

So they can show that Carlow hasnt actually been fecked up by years of mismanagement?
This is great news for Carlow, but there is a long way to go still too.

road_high

Agent Coulson wrote: »

With a TD and IDA name checked in the above quote I'd be hopeful that it is more than a petrol station.

This is all coming out before the by-election as well.

I'm hopeful its something decent too. It's a fairly sound building, doubt it would take huge effort to convert to other uses like manufacturing/office

brianblaze

I was informed Amazon looked at it a few years back but it would've cost too much to repurpose the site, as it was so bespoke to Brauns system. Friend of mine was in their Cork office for a few years and was involved in a few of the site investigations

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

I was informed Amazon looked at it a few years back but it would've cost too much to repurpose the site, as it was so bespoke to Brauns system. Friend of mine was in their Cork office for a few years and was involved in a few of the site investigations

Id say lots have looked at it. Thing it was one of the biggest factory buildings in the country at one state. Cost of converting prob a factor alright. Do the Ida or Braun still own it? What they did with the old Fieldcrest factory was split it up and convert to various units. This seems to have worked out well especially the VHI offices part.

brianblaze

A big single site owner and employer is what that site needs, and what Carlow needs. More empty office space, not so much

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

A big single site owner and employer is what that site needs, and what Carlow needs. More empty office space, not so much

Yea but that's hard got though nowadays. Most employment is being created in smaller type investments, like in financial services etc. if the building were split it may be attractive to a whole heap of smaller fishes rather than just one elusive big fish.

brianblaze

Plenty of empty units on o'brien road already

tonyheaney

No chance of say pennies buying it and moving there lol or perhaps some nice high rise flats and apartments??? would sort out the housing shortage quite nicely

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Plenty of empty units on o'brien road already

They're all small commercial
Type units. Not the high quality type units you could slot a call centre, large office or manufacturing facility into.

brianblaze

Not sure why you'd want to put a manufacturing facility in office spaces? I assume you missed where I said that's what the town needs, not more empty rentable space.

Latest rumour is a Chinese investment group bought it for a snip but we'll see. I hope it's a EuroCentric office for AliBaba or something, but doubt it

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Not sure why you'd want to put a manufacturing facility in office spaces? I assume you missed where I said that's what the town needs, not more empty rentable space.

Latest rumour is a Chinese investment group bought it for a snip but we'll see. I hope it's a EuroCentric office for AliBaba or something, but doubt it

Any idea as to what they want to do with it yet? I'd say it went cheap alright, been on the market fur years now.

brianblaze

Was up for 8m last I saw, if they paid more than 5 with a tonne of incentives, I'd be shocked

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Was up for 8m last I saw, if they paid more than 5 with a tonne of incentives, I'd be shocked

Who owned it? I assume if the IDA owned it they woukdnt have sold it.

brianblaze

Braun still owned it I assume

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Braun still owned it I assume

Know they're a private company and all the rest but I think the miserable whoors could have given it free to Carlow and the IDA, assuming P&G did actually own it...it would be loose change to them and would have been a nice goodwill gesture after many years in Carlow.

brianblaze

Can't see any business doing that

road_high

brianblaze wrote: »

Can't see any business doing that

Plenty have when they vacated an industrial site after a long time. Diageo in Kk for example. Good corporate social responsibility or such like.

brianblaze

Well, seems Netwatch bought it.... If you believe the Nationalist, but sounds legit

ForstalDave

brianblaze wrote: »

Well, seems Netwatch bought it.... If you believe the Nationalist, but sounds legit

FG website have it down as a developer having bought it and the IDAmarketing it to clients currently with a view to minor updates being done within a few months

brianblaze

Well, don't buy the Nationalist I suppose. Might be a site share with another company then, like Stobarts for the warehouse etc.

Agent Coulson

The Carlow People on it's front page has that Minster Deering confirmed the IDA is making available it's vast knowledge and expertise in terms of marketability of the site for future foreign direct investment.

The right type of investment and development to ensure maximum job creation.

tonyheaney

Agent Coulson wrote: »

The Carlow People on it's front page has that Minster Deering confirmed the IDA is making available it's vast knowledge and expertise in terms of marketability of the site for future foreign direct investment.

The right type of investment and development to ensure maximum job creation.

The same newspaper aid that Pennies Development was a done deal!!!

brianblaze

tonyheaney wrote: »

The same newspaper aid that Pennies Development was a done deal!!!

Get what you pay for with the Carlow People.... Although it is a done deal, just they ain't paying money to develop the site