Planning approval has been granted for a medical devices factory in Athenry which will create 1,000 jobs for the area.
Galway County Council has given the green light for the 40,227sqm Dexcom facility on the south-west outskirts of Athenry.
The 32.5ha site is part of an IDA landbank which currently consists of fields, but is zoned for Business & Technology use by the Athenry Local Area Plan.
The Dexcom facility will contain a highly automated and efficient manufacturing operation with an emphasis on green technologies.
Dexcom expects to provide about 500 construction jobs while the facility is being built and up to 1,000 high tech graduate and technician level positions once the site is running at full capacity.
When completed the massive facility will encompass warehousing, production areas, administration offices, and a restaurant for staff members.
Planning Conditions
Planning permission was granted by the county council with 54 conditions attached, most of which were related to environmental mitigation and construction management issues.
A qualified archaeologist must also carry out test excavations on the site prior to work commencing, and monitor all groundworks during the construction phase.
Detailed designs of where the site will connect with public roads, and the junctions, footpaths, and pedestrian crossings which will be built, must be agreed on with the council transport department beforehand.
A further Road Safety Audit must also be carried out at the developer’s expense once construction is completed, and any safety issues highlighted in it addressed.
The county council has also instructed that Dexcom must operate a shuttle bus service to bring staff two and from the site, with two routes linking with Galway City and Athenry Train Station.
The company must also set up a bike share scheme operating between the factory and Athenry Train Station & Town Centre must also be set up.
Dexcom must also pay to the county council a contribution of €1,060,072 towards the provision of public infrastructure, services, and facilities benefitting the development.
Site Works
A new main vehicular entrance onto the R348 roundabout at the northern corner of the site will be built, along with multiple pedestrian entrances.
The facility will also feature 500 car parking spaces, with 100 EV charging stations, along with 178 bicycle spaces and 10 motorbike spaces.
Parking on the site will be split between four lots to reduce its visual impact, with tree planting to further screen them from view.
Significant landscaping work is also included in the plans, with green areas and tree planting along the boundary, and much of the northern half of the site given over to meadowland to increase biodiversity.
A 2.1km walking trail will also be created around the boundary of the site, passing through the various landscaped areas.
The project was first announced back in May 2023, with the €300 million investment expected to bring up to 1,000 jobs to the area when it is at full capacity.
Cllr Michael (Moegie) Maher, Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, described the announcement as a “game-changer for Athenry and the Galway economy”.
He expressed his hope that the investment by Dexcom will encourage other multinationals to consider the West of Ireland as an investment location.
