Holyrood issues call for more industrial land

By Craig Westcott

Holyrood is getting more enquiries from developers and investors interested in buying land in the town’s industrial zone, so council is asking private landowners who are interested in selling their land to come forward.

“We are putting a call out, I guess, tonight,” Deputy Mayor Michelle Woodford said Tuesday at the public council meeting. “Anyone who has any land that they have for sale or are interested in selling on Liam Hickey Drive should contact the economic development committee, or our CAO (chief administrative officer Marjorie Gibbons) and we can facilitate the information back and forth…  It’s great too to see that there’s more businesses interested in coming to Holyrood to do business.”

Woodford, who chairs the economic development committee, said that group has also discussed ways to grow economic activity in Holyrood further. 

“So as part of our business retention and expansion initiative we will be engaging our existing business community, along with government departments like ACOA, or (the provincial Department of) Industry Energy and Technology… along with the Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and the CBDC as well,” said Woodford. “These are all partners that we’ve partnered up with over the years. We’re interested in getting everyone together in a room. Hopefully that’s going to happen sometime in May.”

Woodford said the committee hopes to make the Town’s Oceans Holyrood Initiative, which promotes the marine sector, part of the discussions. The spin-off from developing that sector will help other sectors, she argued.

“We’re in the early stages of planning that, so we’re hoping to get more information on that event out within the next month or so,” she noted. “And we’re hoping that’s going to include local community businesses, provincial businesses, maybe national interests as well. We’re hoping it’s going to be a great event.”

Councillor Laura Crawley added the focus on business growth doesn’t mean there is any intention on the part of the Town for “aggressive development.”

“It is going to be sustainable, economical development that’s going to all residents,” Crawley said. “It’s going to be great to grow our local business (base) and great to grow our population. I think it’s great that we can help businesses come together, increase our (revenue from) taxes, while still providing all these opportunities that people are looking for, like the grocery store, for example. That’s just one minimal, small example of what we’re helping our community to do.”