Boost for North Westmeath with launch of Enterprise Centre

North Westmeath received a timely boost on Wednesday last, November 19, with the official opening of the new Castlepollard Enterprise Centre by Cllr. Frank McDermott, Chairman of Westmeath County Council"s Coole Area Commitee, and the County Manager, Mr. Danny McLoughlin.As an integral part of the proposed 'Innova Business Park', Cllr. McDermott said that the new centre plays an important role in providing a 'co-ordinated strategy for the future expansion of Castlepollard'.It is hoped that the centre - which is located on land beside Mergon International"s plant off Castlepollard"s Water Street - will function as a nest in which local business can be nurtured and developed.'As Ireland develops a knowledge-based society in the coming years, indigenous business will assume a more significant role in the overall economy, and it is therefore imperative that entrepreneurship be nurtured to realise the potential for growth and development,' Cllr. McDermott said.'In the current economic climate, we must seize whatever opportunities come our way to expand and diversify the county"s economy by promoting Westmeath as a place to do business, be that for foreign investment or in this instance, indigenous enterprise.'We must also support the development of technology-based industry, promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and develop micro-enterprises in manufacturing, crafts and services. To achieve this we must also provide appropriate locations and infrastructure for such business development.'The process of securing an enterprise centre for Castlepollard began in 2005, when the Council commissioned the North Westmeath Strategy, with Fitzpatrick Associates (economic consultants) and Brady Shipman Martin (planning and landscape consultants) tasked with identifying means for sustainable development in rural north Westmeath.The consultants" study found that the area had 'a sustainable economy with support for existing and future enterprise', and as a result, the North Westmeath Enterprise Development Task Force was founded to identify marketing and development opportunities.'The promotion of the establishment of a local enterprise centre in Castlepollard was one of the key recommendations in the North Westmeath Strategy, and today is the culmination of the hard work led by County Manager, Danny McLoughlin, that has transformed aspiration to the reality of the Castlepollard Enterprise Centre, which is now ready for business,' Cllr. McDermott said.The Fine Gael man, who was joined by fellow Coole Area councillor Paddy Hill (Fianna Fáil) in offering words of support, said that the Council is 'delighted' to have involved Mergon International in delivering the first enterprise development within the proposed business park.'It is hoped that Castlepollard Enterprise Centre will result in the progression of the overall development of Innova Business Park towards realising the employment opportunities that the development will undoubtedly create, in the future development of north Westmeath and the local economy,' Cllr. McDermott concluded.The centre features seven units and a board room, among other details, and has a ground floor area of 7,079 square feet, with a first floor area of 3,529 feet.