New Link Road Brings Multi Million Euro Investment

Over a 100 new jobs are planned for Blanchardstown as part of a multi-million euro investment by Limerick-based Pallas Foods.

Kevin Quinn, Leo Varadkar TD, Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport  with Councillor Kieran Dennison at the opening of the N2/N3 link Road

Fingal County Council has granted planning permission to build a massive new distribution centre along the new N2/N3 Link road near Tyrrelstown. It expects that 200 people will be employed by Arup during the 15-month construction phase.

The development, on a 40-acre site, will include two huge warehouses, 330 car parking spaces and space to park 183 trucks. At a total of 33,000 sq m, the warehouses and associated offices and service unit will have an area equivalent to almost five football pitches. There will also be a large, separate truck maintenance and fuelling building.

Officials and Councillors at the
 opening of the N2/N3 Link road with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport , Leo Varadkar TD 

The new N2/N3 link road will open up a new economic corridor between Blanchardstown and the Airport. The lands on both sides of the road have been zoned for economic development. Those on the left who voted against the zoning said nothing would happen here for twenty years. Yet within months we have a large multinational company making a very significant investment. I am aware that Pallas Foods looked at two other sites before settling on this one.

In Fingal County Council we aim to facilitate food companies who want to locate near the airport. This will create jobs for people with a variety of skill sets and I expect we will have more job announcements here in the near future.

Pallas Foods, which was acquired in 2009 by Texas-based Sysco for €175m, plans to base 280 employees at the new distribution centre. Of those over 100 will be new posts. Other staff will be relocated from the company's existing distribution centres.

Founded in the 1980s by Tim Geary, Pallas is now the country's biggest food distributor, employing close to 600 people. Last year it acquired the food services unit of Keelings, which employs 160.

Pallas Foods Planning Application