Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has written to Minister Michael McGrath seeking answers in relation to the delays in the development of the Greystones Media Hub.
Two years ago, it was announced that a €300 million media campus was to be developed in Greystones with a view to opening in 2024. The campus which would have created 450 jobs during the construction phase would have led to 1,500 at the 44-acre film and TV production site.
However, while there was some preparatory work carried out on the site, equipment and portacabins and other material was removed from the site in the middle of last year.
According to the US based group the delays were a result of the Hollywood writer’s strike. Which ended in September last year. The fact that the Irish Strategic Investment Fund is a central partner lays a responsibility on the government to play a central role in ensuring that the project gets back on track.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and his government need to show leadership to get the project back on track, not like when they sold their shares in the Ardmore studios. Despite widespread objections and protests against the move.
Brady said:
“In the two years since the announcement of plans for the Greystones media campus, there has been all but no progress at the proposed site of the development.
And while rationales have been put forward by the studio parent group, we are beyond the stage of listening to excuses, we need to see progress here.
The creation of a state-of-the-art media hub in Greystones offers huge opportunities for job creation, in an area with a growing population.
I have written to Minister Michael McGrath, who as the minister responsible for the Irish Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which along with the Capwell company are developing the site, for details of any available timeline in relation to the completion of the project, and whether ISIF, which is responsible for the investment of Irish taxpayer funds, has put in place guarantees to ensure that the development will be completed.
The importance and potential of the media campus demands the full focus of the government and Minister McGrath to ensure that Greystones sees the completion of this project as soon as possible.