The former Pretty Polly, Sara Lee and Beocare plant factory site in Killarney is to be transferred to the Kerry Education and Training Board (Kerry ETB).
Members of Kerry County Council agreed to transfer the three-hectare (7.7acre) site at Park Road at today’s full council meeting.
The transfer is subject to the completion of due diligence requirements.
The Pretty Polly and Sara Lee site was purchased by Killarney Town Council in 2005.
The conveyance and transfer of the site to Killarney Town Council was conditional on the property being used “for the benefit of the general community of Killarney and surrounding areas.”
The disposal of the site by the council was subject to the Intra State Disposal arrangements which require that other public bodies be given an opportunity to acquire such properties.
Kerry ETB expressed an interest in the site for the development of a new Killarney Further Education and Training Campus.
The proposed development is intended to provide a one-stop hub for skills development in Kerry, and bolster economic development.
The ETB aims to address skills gaps in Killarney’s strengths, such as its tourism industry.
The Valuation Office valued the Sara Lee factory site at €2.375 million.
The site includes the vacant factory building, and ancillary structures such as offices and a number of other smaller buildings.
Welcoming the decision by Kerry County Council, Kerry ETB said, it looks forward “to delivering long term educational, social, and economic benefits for Killarney and Kerry.”
