Planning has been granted by Kerry County Council for a major pharmaceutical development in Tralee by Astellas, the global Japanese pharmaceutical company, which already has a base in Killorglin.
The company which specialises in transplant, kidney, bladder and cancer drugs is to invest more than €330m in the new, state-of-the-art facility on a 45-acre site at the technology park in Tralee.
The new facility, which it is hoped will begin construction in 2024, will be based on the Industrial Development Authority's greenfield site in Kerry Technology Park, Tralee alongside the MTU’s northern campus, and will take much of the park.
The plans announced in September have been described as important for the south west and the whole of Ireland, and a 'game-changer’ for Tralee.
The plans which have now been approved are for a 3-storey building, total floor area of 17,000 square metres and a building footprint of approximately 7,300 square metres.
Astellas operates in more than 70 countries and already employs more than 400 people in its long-standing manufacturing plants in Killorglin, Mulhuddart in Dublin and its marketing and sales department in City West.
The development will result in bringing specialised engineering, science and technology roles to the region, the IDA said in September.
Mayor of Kerry Jim Finucane, Fine Gael, described the plans as "a game changer for Tralee".
"It is the most significant thing that has happened in decades," Mr Finucane said.
Some 20 conditions are attached to the planning, mainly to do with the construction phase.
