Clarecastle Residents Feel They’ve Been Left In The Dark Over Roche Future

Photo (c) Clare FM

Clarecastle residents feel they’ve been left in the dark over the future of the Roche plant in the village.

The factory is to close in 15 months, after it was put up for sale by the Swiss pharma company in 2015, along with three other facilities.

But the Clarecastle site is the only one of the four that hasn’t secured a buyer, and with time running out, some residents living nearby fear that one won’t be found.

CONTINUE READING BELOW

It’s almost three years since Roche announced it’s to cease operations in Clarecastle.

The plant has been an integral part of Clarecastle since it was first established as Syntex at the riverside plot in 1974, providing hundreds of jobs at its peak.

Efforts to secure a buyer have so far been unsuccessful, with one prospective buyer pulling out at the 11th hour in 2016.

The matter was recently raised in the Dáil by Clare Independent TD Michael Harty, who insists that the plant can’t be left idle, while Junior Minister Pat Breen opened the door to potentially looking at the site as a brownfield site.

Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey think’s it’s too soon for that, but he says the wait for a buyer is taking it’s tole.

Roche announced it was closing three other plants at the same time as Clarecastle.

Those facilities in the US, Spain and Italy have since been sold.

The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys has insisted to Deputy Carey that efforts are ongoing to find a buyer, and says she’s hopeful employment opportunities will be created.