Apple has been granted planning permission for an expansion at its Hollyhill site in Cork which will create up to an additional 1,000 jobs over the next 18 months.

The company, which has been based in Cork since 1980 and currently employs more than 5,000 people in Ireland, is to construct a new building at the Hollyhill site. The news comes following a 25 per cent increase in the company's workforce over the past twelve months.

Local residents in Cork had lodged an appeal against the expansion stressing that they would be “practically living in an industrial estate” if the project went ahead.

Residents of Ardcullen in Hollyhill objected due to the impact of construction, the impact on the views in the area and the increased pressure from traffic.

However, An Bord Pleanála ruled that the proposed expansion would not impact in any significant way on local properties. The planning authority also ruled that the plan was in accordance with the Cork City Development Plan.

Apple says 200 people will be employed during construction. The company will now go ahead with plans to build a four-storey office block in Cork and provide another 752 car spaces at the facility.

Apple’s Irish operations serve a variety of roles ranging from sales support; distribution; technology support and customer care; mapping and manufacturing.

Its thousands of employees makes it the largest private employer in Cork with more than €100 million invested in the city since 2009 and a further 2,500 jobs supported locally.

It is understood the new office block will be fully functional by the middle of next year. The appeal by residents pushed back the timeline for the project by several months.