Cork event centre work could start 'within weeks'

Hopes are growing that work on Cork’s long-awaited 6,000-seat €50m events centre could start within weeks.

Defence Minister Simon Coveney, who has pledged to deliver the facility for the region, confirmed last night that most of the complex commercial issues linked to the private sector financing of the project have been resolved, and just a “handful of finality issues” remain outstanding.

“The issues that are left to resolve now — you could count them on one hand,” Mr Coveney said.

He said: “90%-95% of the work needed to start the project is in place and completed.

“But big projects like this often need to be pushed over the line at the end, and that’s where we are at, at the moment.”

His comments come weeks ahead of the first anniversary of the securing of some €20m in public funding to kickstart the project which is being pursued by BAM Contractors and global entertainment giant, Live Nation, on the Heineken-owned former Beamish & Crawford site in the heart of Cork City.

Fears were raised some months ago over the lack of progress amid fears that the funding — €12m from Government and up to €8m from Cork City Council — may be diverted elsewhere.

But Mr Coveney said while he was impatient at the progress of the process, he is confident the events centre will be delivered, with the possibility that work could start on site before the end of the year.

“There is a substantial private sector financing element to the project and every ‘i’ needs to be dotted and every ‘t’ crossed before the site will be sold from Heineken to BAM. We are very close to getting that done.

“What I’ve always said was this project was never going to start until the autumn of this year.

“I still think it’s going to start on site before the end of the year.

“Too many people have put too much time and money into making this happen for it not to happen.”

The EU has cleared state aid issues linked to the public funding.