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11th March 2014 • Volume 21, Issue 09 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie
Relief Felt In Swords While the news that 130 jobs will be lost, as pharmaceutical company, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced the closure of its manufacturing facility in Blanchardstown, a sense of relief is being felt in Swords, that a similar fate has not befallen the plant on Watery Lane. The company, in Swords which is better known as Swords Laboratories announced that it will continue operations here, but a single operating unit will cease manufacturing by the end of 2015, resulting in 30 job losses. While the news is devastating for workers in Blanchardstown, and the 30 workers in Swords, the good news is that the the pharmaceutical firm says it remains committed to its Swords facility, which currently employs 320 staff. The news has been greeted with disappointment in the business community in the locality. Fingal Dublin Chamber CEO, Tony Lambert summed up the overall feeling when he said, “We are very concerned to hear about the proposed closure of Bristol-Myers Squibb
By Patrick Finnegan and we are seeking a meeting with their Senior Manager, and plan to discuss this with the County Council also. We want to see the full resources of the IDA and all other resources brought to bear, to see that the Blanchardstown site is quickly bought up by another company.” “Bristol-Myers Squibb have been a major provider for jobs in Swords and other areas around the North Tony Lambert County for over 50 years, and we will be working to see that continue,” he said. The news comes hot on the heels of the decision to relocate the Inland Fisheries Ireland offices from Swords Business Campus to City West Business Park, meaning that Swords is set to lose 50 jobs, which will be relocated to the southside. Local election candi-
date, Cathal Boland, said that, “Swords can ill afford to lose these jobs, particularly with the 50 being relocated by the Inland Fisheries Board to the other side of the county. It is very disappointing that, when the constituency has such a high profile member of the cabinet in James Reilly, that we can have this slippage of Government jobs to the other side of County Dublin,” he said. He continued, “The announcement from Bristol-Myers Squibb is very disappointing. The news is very worrying for all employed at these plants. It is important that the IDA make every effort to find replace- Cathal Boland ment employment, and that they work with the management here in Swords, to ensure that the jobs are protected and that every effort is made to replace the 30 jobs due to be lost.” Local councillor, Anne Devitt (NP), while disappointed with the news, was somewhat upbeat about the future. She told the County Leader, “While the loss of 30 jobs at Bristol-Myers Squibb is regrettable, there are a lot of pharma companies that want to locate to the North County. The highly skilled workforce at Bristol-Myers Squibb will be in high demand in these new companies. These lower volume, higher value pharma products are in vogue at the moment, and the North County is in prime position to absorb these potential jobs. I am very hopeful for these jobs,” she said. The company, which is better known as Swords Laboratories, is a Bulk API manufacAnne Devitt turing site, was one of the first pharmaceutical companies to begin manufacturing in Ireland. The site was inaugurated in 1964.
Pictured are Aisling Read and her friend, Caoimhe Horan of Scoil Phadraic Na Cailíní in Donabate after making their Confirmation at St Patrick's Church, Donabate.
Centre Of Excellence Divided Opinion On New Building Regulations
The highly successful Millfield Shopping Centre in Balbriggan, are the latest company to seize the opportunity of promoting their business through modern mediums. They have recognised the advantages of promoting the shopping location on North County Leader’s weekly email newsletter, to complement their already successful in-paper advertising campaign. Millfield Centre Manager, Peter Carey, is pictured here with North County Leader’s IT Director, Sean Fitzmaurice
The new Building Control Regulations, which came into force on Saturday, 1st March last, are set to divide opinion in the locality, as regards the need for them, particularly in the case of rural one-off housing. The Building Control Amendment Regulations set out to prevent the future reoccurrence of poorly constructed dwellings, pyrite damage and structures breaching fire regulations left as a legacy of a poorly regulated housing boom. A case in point is the ill-fated Priory Hall development. Environment Minister, Phil Hogan maintains that “this is about restoring consumer confidence in construction as an industry, which are a major step forward and will, for the first time, give homeowners clarity, traceability and accountability at all stages of the building process. They will provide consumers with the protection they deserve.” What this effectively means for local builders is that Assigned Certifiers, who can be registered architects, engineers or
building surveyors, will inspect building works at key stages during construction. The Assigned Certifier and the builders will both certify that a finished building complies with the requirements of the building regulations. Owners/developers will now be required to assign a competent person (i.e. Assigned Certifier) to inspect and certify the works. Industry sources suggest this requirement will typically cost between €1,000 and €3,000 per housing unit, to the overall building costs, although in reality this cost will be decided by market forces. Many believe that this is a small price to pay for ensuring that all safety precautions have been adhered to. The County Leader met with mixed reaction to the regulations locally, with opinions divided on them. Mark Stillman of Stillman Building Contractors, who plies his trade in the North Mark Stillman County, had very definite opinions about
the new regulations. He said, “This will now put pressure on builders, engineers and architects to make the whole business compliant. It’s a good thing, especially with Priory Hall and is a more watchful eye from engineers and architects. It’s more about making sure that work is being carried out in accordance with building regulations. Too much work was done in the past, without proper compliance with regulations,” he said. However, there is not widespread approval of these regulation, and a local councillor is calling on the Minister to place an exemption, or special clause for the necessity for a certified contractor, in the case of rural one-off housing. Councillor Anne Devitt spoke to the County Leader about her objections to the new regulations. “I feel they are not fit for purpose, where one-off rural housing is concerned. It is bringing in an unnecessary lair of bureaucracy. I absolutely support it for large housing schemes and developments. The purpose of this regulation is to improve building conditions all round, to make sure that we no longer have a Priory Hall, or a pyrite problem.” She continued, “The requirements for one-off housing are overprotective and Continued on page 14