Amgen site still vacant a decade after €1bn investment pledge

More than a decade after Amgen announced a €1bn investment in Cork with the promise of 1,100 jobs, the chosen site remains idle after the promise failed to materialise.

The so-called Amgen site in Carrigtwohill in east Cork remains one of the most serviced vacant commercial locations in the country with millions pumped in at the time to making it viable for the global pharmaceutical company to operate.

There are now calls for infrastructural improvements to be made on the Carrigtwohill stretch of the Cork to Waterford road, with community figures saying only a road upgrade or significant incentives for a potential tenant to do those upgrades will lead the site being occupied.

Politicians and business leaders alike heralded the 2006 Amgen announcement as a game-changing moment for the county. Carrigtwohill was chosen from 25 global locations, and homes in the area skyrocketed in price.

However, Amgen ran into problems with a patent on its latest product within a year of the Cork announcement and said it would be delayed. In 2010, Amgen concluded that it no longer wished to proceed with the project. The company soon handed back the 133-acre site to the IDA.

Cork county councillor Anthony Barry, who was chair of Carrigtwohill community council at the time, said with Brexit looming, all efforts should be made to entice a “marquee” name to the former Amgen site.

“It is ready to go, and is among the best serviced sites you’ll find anywhere. It has the harbour, railway, motorway and airport all just a few minutes away. All we need is a gold-star tenant,” he said.

The big stumbling block, according to Mr Barry and others, is the road outside the entrance is not suitable. To get back to Cork, vehicles would have to travel down to Midleton before turning back to Cork.

Mr Barry said: “It needs a grade-separated junction, which is crucial for the area even without the site being taken into consideration. If a gold-star tenant came in with 900 or so jobs, either the Government would fix it or incentives would be given to do so,” he said.

An IDA spokeswoman said it had recently shown the property to a number of clients. “Every investment made in favour of Ireland is hard won. A decision to set up an operation in a particular location is generally the result of a long process involving a company comparing various locations around the world and the ability of that country to meet specific requirements and expectations.

“IDA continues to market this strategic site to potential investors,” she said.