Cllr Frankie Keena

The Chairman of the Athlone Area Committee Cllr. Frankie Keena said that he is delighted and thrilled to see that a planning application has been lodged with Westmeath County Council for Phase 1 of a proposed International, Trade & Commerce Centre on lands at Creggan, Athlone for the purpose of promoting trade and business between China, Europe and the US. This is something that I have given my full support to since it was first mentioned and I will continue to work hard to help make this exciting project become a reality, he declared.
It is my honest belief that this proposal will make Athlone the Orlando of Europe. Athlone will be as recognisable as New York.
A lot of work has gone into developing this project over the last couple of years and it is fantastic now to see this labour being brought to the planning stage. I want to take this opportunity to compliment the Directors of Athlone Business Park, Ltd for their forward thinking, vision, energy, drive and courage in moving this project, which if it becomes a reality will create a massive economic boost to Athlone, the Midlands and the Country, he said.
This initiative is what our economy badly needs as it will give not only people living in Athlone hope but also people throughout the country. I am sure unemployed construction workers living in Athlone and the wider Midland regions will not be the only ones eager to see that planning is granted for this €175 million Phase 1 project as it is envisaged that their will be 1,200 construction jobs, and approximate 1,500 sustainable jobs, the majority of which will be for Irish / EU Nationals, he stated. .Apart from the massive employment created on this campus there will be a rippling effect for job creation throughout the community in providing diverse services to it. This has to be seen as a lifebuoy for worried parents as job opportunities will be on offer to their graduates, skilled & trained young people. Also there will be job vacancies for people with various skills across the employment spectrum. Unemployment should be none existent in Athlone with a project of this size and potential.
The main concept of this project is to provide large scale exhibition centres whereby Chinese companies and traders can display their products to both International & Irish business people instead of the current need for them to travel to China for such purchases. The target audience for this trading hub are from the East coast of America and all of Europe, he said.
So to put this in perspective on a daily basis there will be hundreds of business people from all over Europe and America coming to Athlone to place orders for Chinese products, this in itself will create a massive opportunity to boost business / tourism in this Country, said Cllr. Keena.
Another very important fact to recognise is that it is planned to provide exhibition centres on this campus for Irish Companies to display their products as well to this influx of International Business people. This will most definitely help our indigenous industries and boost our export markets, he added.
Finally may I say that I whole heartily welcome this exciting development for Athlone and I urge everyone to embrace it as a positive initiative that will most definitely be a major influencing factor in helping us get out of this recession, concluded Cllr. Keena.
.