Planning permission is being sought for a massive medical devices manufacturing facility in Athenry which will employ hundreds of people.
Dexcom International is seeking the county council’s approval for a four-storey development 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 40,227 sqm development will encompass warehousing, production areas, administration offices, and a restaurant for staff members.
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.
A Design Statement for the project said that it will provide huge amounts of employment for the area, with roughly 891 people working there each day.
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.
While being built, Dexcom estimated that the development would support approximately 500 construction jobs in the region.
“With the continued success of our Dexcom G7 in Europe, we are pursuing an ambitious growth strategy that requires increased manufacturing capacity to support our rapidly expanding European user base,” said Barry Regan, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Dexcom at the time.
“Ireland has an exceptional talent pool and an established MedTech sector, making Athenry the perfect location for us to establish a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.”
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.
“This announcement is a massive shot in the arm for the local economy,” added Cllr Maher.
A decision on this planning application is due from Galway County Council by October 25 of this year.
