An Taisce objects to brewery site plan

AN TAISCE has joined heritage campaigners in lodging an appeal against plans for a €150 million redevelopment of the Beamish and Crawford site in Cork.

The proposal, a joint venture by Heineken Ireland and Bam Construction, includes a 6,000-seat events centre, cinemas, retail, offices and student accommodation housed in seven buildings ranging in height from four to seven stories.

The proposed developments are on the four-acre riverside site at South Main Street.

In its appeal to An Bord Pleanála, An Taisce argues that elements of the design for the Brewery Quarter are “completely inappropriate” and display poor vision in terms of planning.

The conservation group states the proposed use of the iconic Counting House building is inappropriate, as are two design blocks fronting onto South Main Street.

The group criticised the scale and design of the events centre, as it is located in a “sensitive city centre location”.

The inclusion of student accommodation brought criticism from An Taisce who claim such facilities in the immediate area were already well catered for.

The building height, which rises to seven storeys at its peak, prompted conservation concerns, given the precedent it might set for future development of the city centre.

Finally, the group said the plans fail to include a riverside amenity area for public use in the city centre.

“The proposal represents a lost opportunity to develop a proper reasonably sized public space on the riverside as envisioned in the Cork City Development Plan,” the submission states.