THREE Invest NI owned business parks, which represent taxpayer expenditure of over £25 million remain vacant the Irish News can reveal.
The business development agency, which owns a total of 48 business parks around the north, has confirmed that three developments - Strabane Business Park and extensions at Carnbane Business Park in Newry and Edenaveys in Armagh remain without tenants. and have failed to create a single job.
Including the purchasing of land, development and construction works the bill for the three stands at roughly £28 million.
Invest NI has said it remains confident that all three business parks will be filled, seeing them as long-term projects that are in their formative stages.
"Invest NI continues to promote all of its property to potential investors, this includes both Strabane and Carnbane Business Parks. We are in ongoing discussions with companies considering building new facilities at both locations and any new tenants will be announced at the appropriate time. This process is very much driven by the prospective purchaser, " a spokesperson said.
Out of the 48 Invest NI business parks across Northern Ireland, 11 are fully tenanted. In terms of overall landholding, they own 2,831 acres of which 647 acres (23 per cent) remains available to support business development.
Last year the Irish News revealed how the £6 million Strabane Business Park has not created a single job since opening in 2013.
Designed to address the shortage of industrial land and be a catalyst for economic development, the site at Melmount Road offers 22 acres of serviced land for investors.
Invest NI spent more than £3.1 million buying the land and another £2.7 million developing the business park.
It followed previous successful industrial estates in the Dublin Road and Orchard Road areas of the town.
The £19 million Carnbane extension was completed in 2013 and was the fourth phased development at the well-established Newry industrial area. Offering 21 acres of usable land, with a further 30.7 acres available for potential development, it remains empty.
Including the purchase of the land in 2010 and development works over £19 million has been spent at the 72.7 acre site.
The Edenavey extension represents a much smaller proposition, with an additional 10.7 acres purchased by Invest NI in 2009. The cost to acquire and prepare the site was nearly £2.9m.
Invest NI has said there is a "level of interest" in the Newry Road site.
