Farmer objecting again to Intel's proposed plant 4 times the size of Whitewater Shopping Centre

A local farmer who has been a thorn in the side of Intel over several years has objected again to the latest plans of the multi-national. Thomas Reid lodged a hand-written two-page objection on notepaper to Kildare Co Council.  

 

 Reid claims that the Leixlip-based micro chip maker's new planning application "is contrary to proper planning and development" of the area.   The massive planning application for a 110,000  square metre plant - potentially leading to thousands of jobs - was lodged on February 1.  On March 28th last the Council requested further information from Intel on the proposals. The massive planning file on the application already contains up to 200 documents. Last year a documentary was released in cinemas about Reid, who has objected to about half a dozen Intel applications over the course of the past decade.      

  The film - The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid - was screened at the Dublin International Film Festival and also shown in Kildare cinemas. In 2015, Reid (57) won a Supreme Court appeal against a decision by the High Court to allow the IDA to compulsorily acquire land he and his family had worked for more than a century. He sued the IDA and the State after an order was granted permitting the development agency to acquire the 72-acre property, which includes a farm and the Reid family home, Hedsor House. The house and farm has been in the Reid  family for more than 100 years since it was first acquired by Reid's grandfather Thomas in the early 1900s. Former Labour TD and local election candidate Emmet Stagg has lodged a submission in favour of the Intel application as he said he believed it will grow the local economy and create employment.   Proposed expansion  In February, after months of speculation, Intel announced plans to significantly increase capacity at it Leixlip plant. The micro chip giant submitted a planning application for a 110,0000 square metre factory. The planned facility is set to be almost twice the size of Dundrum Town Centre. Intel already has separate planning approval from 2017 for a 90,000 square metre plant at its site. Major investment  The investment in a new facility of this size could run into billions of euro over several years and involve up to 5,000 construction jobs and hundreds of contracted and permanent staff.