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Chamber welcomes two-year strategy for NPWS

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The President of Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has welcomed the new two-year strategic action plan for the restructuring of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Niall Kelleher said, the plan contains a number of positive initiatives and innovative proposals that will be of enormous benefit to Killarney National Park.

He said the plan, which follows detailed independent reviews, features a timeline to implement a number of recommendations to make the NPWS a more resilient and effective executive agency capable of meeting the many challenges of the 21st century.

“The NPWS has a crucial role to play in Killarney with a very complex range of responsibilities, including the implementing of policies, conservation, enforcement, licensing, biodiversity, scientific advice and planning. The protection, conservation and, following the recent wildfires, restoration of the park is imperative and for the challenges to be properly met, the NPWS needs to be adequately structured, staffed and equipped,” Mr Kelleher said.

He noted that, as the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, and Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, have stressed, the comprehensive internal redesign of the NPWS will result in a much stronger focus on customer service, outcomes and delivery for the public as well as more structured engagement with NPWS stakeholders.

Mr Kelleher said the fact that there will be a substantial €55 million investment in the implementation of the new plan indicates the absolute importance the Government is affording to the development and protection of the National Parks.

“I particularly welcome the fact that 60 new full-time jobs will be created immediately in the NPWS with the recruitment of conservation rangers and general operatives. It is equally encouraging that there is a longer-term plan to double the 400 staff currently employed by the service to meet future Irish and European biodiversity targets,” he said.

The Government is determined to have more NPWS staff available to work closely with communities, farmers and other stakeholders and to be in a position to cater for rapidly expanding visitor numbers.

The Chamber President acknowledged that there has been a significant investment in the provision of additional car parking and enhancement of established trails and walkways in Killarney National Park in recent years. He said specific funding must also be provided for the management of the deer population and the control of invasive species, such as rhododendron, and to help improve biodiversity in the large area of the 26,000-acre park damaged by the devastating wildfires.

He added the provision of education and outreach programmes to heighten awareness around biodiversity and to promote sustainable tourism was also a key objective that must be met.

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

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Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

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Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

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Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

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