Path clear for €150m concert venue

THE path looks clear for Cork’s new €150 million concert venue to proceed in the city centre as developer Owen O’Callaghan is ending his rival bid for a docklands venue.

An Bord Pleanála has granted permission to the joint venture between Heineken Ireland and builders BAM Property for the former Beamish & Crawford brewery site at South Main Street.

The appeals board upheld last July’s decision of Cork City Council to approve the 6,000-seat events centre at the 4.5-acre site, which also runs along the south channel of the River Lee overlooked by St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

But Mr O’Callaghan had been competing for an operator to come to the city to run concerts and other events at the venue he was planning at Albert Quay near Cork City Hall.

A city council decision is due in the next 10 days on his company Crimson Investments’ application to build a €50m centre.

A spokesperson for O’Callaghan Properties said it had always been clear it would only ever be viable for one such venue in the city. The rival project was now at least six months more advanced, the spokesman conceded, given the strong likelihood of the Albert Quay application being referred to An Bord Pleanála.

However, he said that if permission was refused or granted with conditions by the council, the decision would not be appealed.

“There is no point in us muddying the waters, so we will not be proceeding with our project. We wish Heineken and BAM the very best of luck on the project and look forward to seeing it come to fruition in two years’ time,” the spokesperson said.

He said there were no alternative proposals for development of the 1.75-acre site, assembled at a cost of over €20m, including the purchase of Navigation House from Cork City Council.

Both groups had been in discussions with a number of potential partners to run events at their venues, including Live Nation which operates events at the O2 and Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin, and global entertainment group AEG, whose venues include London’s O2 Arena.

A Heineken Ireland spokesperson said there had been discussions with potential end users but he could not say how soon any deal might be ready to announce. However, he said it was hoped work will begin this year.

It also includes plans for an eight-screen cinema, 46 student apartments, more than 6,000 square metres of offices, bars, restaurants, shops and an exhibition area. A ‘brewery experience’ marking the history of the site is also planned, as well as a landmark glazed viewing platform that has been likened to the Gravity Bar at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. However, An Bord Pleanála has ruled that some floors on some of the buildings, ranging up to seven storeys high, should be taken out.

A judicial review of the An Bord Pleanála decision may be lodged by the National Conservation Heritage Group, who had appealed the scale of the development along with An Taisce. But Cork Chamber welcomed the go-ahead as an opportunity to enhance Cork’s role as a conference and exhibition destination.

“The economic significance of such a project would be substantial and would act as a catalyst for economic development in the city, given the current national and local economic climate,” said Cork Chamber president John Mullins.