The consortium behind the €1.4 billion Chinese exhibition suburb planned for the eastern edge of Athlone expect to begin construction within a year and a half, and open doors in 2015 if all goes according to plan, after its €175 million first phase was given the go-ahead on December 2.
“These are hard-nosed businessmen behind this, and they know there are many factors which could influence the first shovel, but the [planning] decision taken last week was a tremendous step forward and it sends out a very positive message to the Chinese promoters behind this,” said John Tiernan, former county manager of Roscommon, and CEO of Athlone Business Park Ltd, the Irish face for the Chinese investors behind the project.
“We now can say this is a real runner, and I can now see the marketing drive kicking off in China,” he added, referring to the campaign to start pre-selling the 540 available exhibition units.
“We’d expect to begin mid-year 2013, with construction to take approximately two years, and we’d hope to open doors in early 2015,” said Mr Tiernan.
In conversation with the Advertiser this week, Mr Tiernan confirmed there will be nothing produced on the proposed 32 ha (76 acre ) site, but that it will be “purely a showroom for trade purchases... for big time buyers”, and will be aimed at selling Chinese goods to Europe and the eastern seaboard of the USA.
He explained how such an exhibition hub was a uniquely Chinese model, and that though the proposed Creggan development would be the first such project attempted outside China: “their capacity for manufacturing is so great, there will be a number of these around Europe shortly”.
Mr Tiernan pointed out how the Chinese government recognises that 16-hour flights and its consumer protection laws are seen as barriers to trade in its major western markets.
To help counter this, the Chinese have developed a trade policy which translates as ‘go out’ to expand sales outside the home market to keep their economy growing, and under which this proposed project falls.
