Wexford County Council Chief Executive Tom Enright has today announced ambitious plans for the large-scale redevelopment of a 10-acre brownfield site in Wexford Town.
Trinity Wharf overlooks Wexford Estuary and is close to the Crescent and Wexford Town centre. The council recently acquired the entire site for €800,000, which is understood to be around 10% of its cost 10 years ago. The council will shortly appoint consultants to prepare an overall masterplan for its comprehensive redevelopment.
Since taking up his position in 2014, Enright has expressed the need for a high-quality business park in the town offering large-scale clustered corporate office space. He sees the iconic Trinity Wharf site as an ideal location for such a venture. The overall design concept is at an early stage, but the proposed development is likely to include a mix of corporate office space, hotel accommodation, a modest level of residential units, public amenities, a marina, and restaurants. Total investment is estimated at €35 million.
Minister Brendan Howlin has welcomed the announcement, describing the proposed redevelopment as a “game-changer” in ongoing efforts to increase office-based employment opportunities in County Wexford.
“Wexford has been very successful in growing the international companies established here, such as Waters Technology, BNY Mellon and Zurich Insurances,” Howlin said. “Part of the difficulty in increasing the flow of such investment is the absence of suitable property solutions to meet investors’ expectations. It is essential therefore that we have a range of suitable options for companies considering Wexford as a location in which to invest and I am confident that the development of Trinity Wharf will prove highly attractive in this regard.”
Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council, Tony Dempsey, also praised the initiative and promised the full support of the elected members in advancing the project, saying, “It is appropriate, indeed essential that Wexford County Council takes a lead role in attracting jobs to our county by investing in the type of modern infrastructure that is expected and required by those seeking to invest here.”
CEO of Wexford Chamber of Commerce, Madeline Quirke, also endorsed the redevelopment of Trinity Wharf and expressed strong support on behalf of the business community for the project. “The development of office accommodation at Trinity Wharf has real potential to further enhance Wexford’s deserved reputation as a great place to live and work by providing a progressive and modern working environment for the many companies who are choosing Wexford as their preferred location,” Quirke said.
Enright said the site requires a mix of uses to create the right environment to attract and retain employment.
He believed the site had the potential to employ more than 1,000 people over the next 5 to 10 years, possibly in internationally traded services such as finance and insurance. Enright confirmed the council will deliver the development through a public-private-partnership arrangement and that it has already had initial discussions with several potential investors and the Industrial Development Authority (IDA).
The chief executive added that the council’s decision to lead the development of high-quality office accommodation will attract further jobs to Wexford. “We need to create the space for existing local companies to expand into. The very high demand and cost of office accommodation in Dublin also provides a unique opportunity for Wexford to attract new companies here, as the significantly improved road access brings us very close to the capital. More often than not, companies are under time pressure to establish their presence quickly and get up and running. They require readily available, attractive, cost-effective, large-scale modern office facilities and Trinity Wharf will meet all of those criteria,” Enright said.
He sees the Trinity Wharf development as one of a range of measures that the council is leading to provide property solutions for business and says other developments are planned. “We are currently at an advanced stage of developing proposals in each of the key towns of Enniscorthy, Gorey and New Ross and we will be outlining our plans for these in the coming weeks.” He added, “Each proposal will be different and will meet specific business needs which the Council has identified from research it has undertaken.”