By Gordon Deegan
An Bord Pleanála has given the green light to plans by Intel for its proposed new $4 billion (€3.63bn) manufacturing fabrication (FAB) facility at its Leixlip plant.
The appeals board has given the chip giant the go-ahead for the project after finding that the plan would constitute a reasonable and orderly expansion of the existing manufacturing use at the location.
The proposal was opposed by local farmer, Thomas Reid who last June appealed the Kildare County Council decision to grant to An Bord Pleanala.
The planning permission follows three years on after Intel secured planning permission for the first phase of the ‘fab’ facility valued at $4 billion.
In total, the two planning permissions represent an $8 billion (€7.26 billion) investment which will employ 6,000 construction workers at peak and 1,600 full-time jobs on completion.
The projects represent the largest single private investment in the history of the State on one project if given the go-ahead by Intel globally.
Consultants for Intel told Kildare Co Council that the firm has already invested $12.5 billion on its site at Leixlip.
The appeals board gave the plan the go-ahead after concluding that the proposal accords with national, regional and local planning policy and would not be injurious to amenities of the area or property in the vicinity.
The board order upheld the recommendation to grant by Senior Planning inspector, Paul Caprani at the end of his 83 page report.
The application is the eight Intel Leixlip application Mr Reid has objected to since 2012 with six previous Intel applications brought before An Bord Pleanála by Mr Reid.
Mr Reid unsuccessfully opposed the $4 billion first phase of the ‘fab’ plan in 2017 when lodging an objection against the application and then appealing the Council decision to An Bord Pleanála.
