€70m film studio would be 'transformative' for Mullingar, says chamber president

If the planning application for a new €70m film and TV studio in Mullingar gets the green light it will be “transformative” for the local economy.

That's according to the president of Mullingar Chamber of Commerce John Geoghegan, who says it is important that the elected members of Westmeath County Council and its executive “get behind” Hammerlake Studios'' plans to develop what would be one of the largest film studios in Europe.

Mr Geoghegan told the Westmeath Examiner that the council “needs to be seen driving this”.

“It's a new venture with an incredible investment of €70m that will create hundreds of jobs in a sector that doesn't exist in the midlands, at present.”

The demand for studio space in Ireland and across Europe has risen significantly in recent years as streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon make more and more of their own content. Mr Geoghan says that Irish studios such as Ardmore in Wicklow and Troy in Limerick are booked out years in advance. If Hammerlake Studios' project gets the green light from Westmeath County Council, it will be “an incredible opportunity for Mullingar”, he says.

“It would further underline the town as a good investment location and a great place to do business, as well as providing spin-offs for the leisure and hospitality sectors. It would also put Mullingar's name on the map internationally. I think that everyone should get behind this and give it all the support we can.”

Mr Geoghegan, who works in the property sector, has examined Hammerlake's planning application and says that the team behind it have done "super work" and have addressed “every single point”.

The future is looking bright for Mullingar, he says.

“The Science Park is expanding, the Ardonagh Group are going into Marlinstown, Writech's new R&D facility has just opened. There are a lot of things going on in Mullingar."