On Friday, the skeleton maintenance crew clocked out for the last time at the factory, which until recently employed 300 full-time and 50 part-time staff.

Established 30 years ago, the contribution of the Japanese enterprise to the local economy has been estimated at 600m.

Minister for enterprise trade and employment Micheal Martin described the factory closure as "a huge blow" and promised Fas would arrange whatever retraining may be necessary to help laid-off workers find alternative jobs.

A group calling itself Next Era Calling . . . using the initials of their former employer . . . has been formed to lobby for the retention of the premises as a factory.

Communications minister and local Fianna Fail TD Noel Dempsey last week contacted the group to express concern and offer his support to their campaign.

Other local politicians say they're determined to oppose any change to the land's industrial zoning. "The zoning will be left as it is, " said Fine Gael councillor, William Carey. "I would be totally opposed to it being changed to residential." He said any rezoning application would have to come before Trim area councillors and he didn't believe they would vote in favour of a change.

"It would be advantageous to the sale if it had changed zoning, " said Maurice Harlin of estate agents Sherry FitzGerald Harlin Farrelly, which next week plans to advertise the sale of the plant.

"But because it's a standalone factory, in the sense that it's not tied to the IDA through grant-aid, there's every chance that another employer will buy the premises.

"NEC's position would be to sell it on as it is and best of luck to whoever buys it."

"The very last thing we need in Ballivor right now is more housing, " said local Fine Gael TD, Damien English.

"We've had too much residential development here in too short a period of time and much of it badly finished."

He said that because the plant had been built to high specifications and was wellmaintained, he was confident some form of commercial enterprise could be established on the site.

"If that's not to be, then there are other avenues that should be explored. One option would be to build an educational facility there.

Another might be to build a badly-needed public nursing home on the site. A Fas training centre is something else that's badly needed in the area."

It is rumoured locally that one high-profile company is considering buying the premises.

At least three other companies are believed to have looked over the plant before dismissing it as unsuited to their purposes.

Selling this type of ageing commercial premises as a going concern is often problematic, according to Marie Hunt, head of research with estate agents CB Richard Ellis. "What's happened is that over time the standard of fit-out has completely changed, " she said.

"What might have been a fantastic building 30 years ago may in some cases only be suitable for storage purposes today. Companies nowadays require very high-spec buildings . . . something akin to an office building really."