350 jobs promised in €210m quay project

DEVELOPER Owen O’Callaghan is to seek planning permission this week for a €210 million office-led scheme on Cork city’s quays, and has promised an even more significant further office development in a year’s time.

The positive announcement, which promises 350 building jobs on one scheme alone, comes at a time of an overall slowdown in the construction and development sectors.

Planning is being sought for a site close to Cork city’s bus and railway stations, on Anderson’s Quay.

It provides for 160,000 sq ft of offices, with some ground-floor retail development. Images prepared by Wilson Architects show a cylindrical tower part of the building, facing onto the Clarion Hotel and City Quarter offices, and rising up to 10 storeys in height.

Previously on the site was Reliance Bearings, Mahers Sports, the CSPCA Animals’ Home, since relocated to Mahon, and S-Tyres.

If granted planning, the development could provide up to 700 full-time jobs, and 350 building jobs.

It faces Penrose Quay, just up-river from Horgan’s Quay and Kent rail station, set for some future redevelopment and investment.

Ironically, O’Callaghan Properties (OCP) had plans for the Horgan’s Quay site back in the mid-1990s, before the start of the Irish building boom.

The application for Anderson’s Quay precedes another one expected next spring for Albert Quay, where OCP has assembled a site of 1.5 acres, with further assemble scope.

It marks the start of OCP’s active development phase in Cork’s Docklands, said a spokesperson.

On the western/city side of the docklands, a grain silos site is already in the planning pipeline for offices and apartments for the Origin Group/IAWS and “it will be one of Cork city’s most significant office developments”, says OCP.

The firm, which is currently developing big retail schemes in Cork’s city centre — on Academy Street/ St Patrick Street and Half Moon Street — say this latest application for Anderson’s Quay would be “a fillip to Docklands regeneration in Cork and a welcome respite from construction sector negativity”.

The location, so near to the city’s main retail and business districts and of such a high quality design “makes a strong statement for commercial investment”, said OCP managing director Owen O’Callaghan.

According to Mr O’Callaghan, “Cork has suffered in recent years because of a lack of large-scale, third-generation city-centre office availability.

“Investment and jobs have gone elsewhere as a result. The development of office accommodation on such a well-placed site, near the railway and bus stations, will be very attractive and will address some of the city’s office capacity problems. It also continues the successful renewal of the area which has occurred in recent years.”

Mr O’Callaghan said he believed a strong market still currently exists for well-located, high-quality office accommodation in Cork.

“We see this as an opportunity for Cork to have a corporate headquarters type office building available in a city centre location. We are very confident about this project and it would be our intention to commence construction on it once planning permission is obtained,” he said.