Planning permission is to be sought by the end of the year to facilitate UCC’s hopes to change a historic city-centre bank to a flagship business school.

A local authority has defended its decision to place, on the open market, a former bank building it acquired almost two years ago.

Ideas are being sought from the open market to help breathe new life into a city-owned historic former bank building.

CORK City’s oldest bank building, and one of its very finest architectural statements, is a New Year sale offer at €1.2 million.