Kinnegad co-working hub to cost €4m, councillors informed

The cost of the new smart innovation and co-working hub planned for Kinnegad is likely to come to approximately €4m, county chief executive Barry Kehoe has revealed.

The figure was disclosed to members of the county council at their July monthly meeting as they discussed the chief executive's report on Part 8 planning in respect of the development. The hub is to go in the former Master's House, a protected structure adjacent to the new library and education centre on the Mullingar Road.

“We've had a long-standing ambition to have a co-working centre in Kinnegad,” Mr Kehoe told the meeting, stating that this was another example of the council's attempt to invest in its smaller towns and villages. He said it would be of value since there are a lot of people who travel from Kinnegad to other locations to work every day.

However, Mr Kehoe cautioned, the council is not in a position at the minute to proceed with the project because it does not yet have all the funding required in place.

“We've secured a grant of €1m under Just Transition, but we need a further €3m, so if the members approve the planning today, we'll be pushing to get that €3m wherever we can get it,” he stated.

Cllr Niall Gaffney welcomed the development saying he believed it would meet a real need in the area. And it was, he continued, a real investment in Kinnegad.

Cllr Denis Leonard felt that the £1 million from Just Transition represented a small investment that should have been much larger. He expressed an appeal to the government parties present to push for further funding, saying there was huge money available through the Just Transition fund.

Cllr Leonard said the only industry that Kinnegad was ever given over all the years was Lagan Cement and that any businesses in Kinnegad had grown organically and supplied any employment that existed in the area.

“It was not Enterprise Ireland, it was not the IDA or anyone else, so here's the chance for Just Transition to actually invest properly in the third largest town in Westmeath,” he said.

Cllr Leonard went on to warn that parking would be an issue and he called for provision of a park and ride facility on the bypass to cater for motorists who otherwise park in town.

Support for this call came from Cllr David Jones who said the provision of the enterprise hub was great for Kinnegad.

Also supporting the call for provision of a park and ride facility for the town in conjunction with the provision of the hub was Cllr Alfie Devine who said that as things are, Kinnegad itself is being used as a park and ride location for commuters.

Mr Kehoe said the question of parking was something about which he would certainly speak to the management team and they would seek to address the issue over time.