Council to look again at plans for events centre in Cork

Cork City Council is to re-examine the possibility of investing public money in an events centre.

Lord Mayor Cllr John Buttimer confirmed last night that the council will discuss the issue at its meeting tonight.

It is expected to agree to undertake an independent assessment to determine if there is an economic case for such public investment.

Three sites on Leeside are earmarked for the development of an events centre.

In a joint venture, Heineken Ireland, the owners of the former Beamish and Crawford site, and developers Bam Contractors, plan to redevelop the site to include a 6,000-seat event centre, cinema, student apartments, restaurants, shops, bars and galleries.

Planning permission has been granted but the developers have said that public investment is crucial.

Developer Owen O’Callaghan also has plans to develop a 5,000-seat venue on Albert Quay.

But he has said he will only proceed if the Beamish site is not developed. He said there was only room for one such centre in Cork.

Planning permission was granted to Howard Holdings in 2009 for a €33m conference centre in the city’s docklands.

But given the company’s financial difficulties, that plan is unlikely to progress.

In 2006, former city manager Joe Gavin offered a grant up to a maximum of €12m to encourage submissions from the privatesector to build an events centre.

Four proposals came forward and the following year the council voted to provide €8m as backing for Howard Holding’s proposed €33m docklands conference centre plan.

That funding offer was subsequently withdrawn when the company ran in to financial difficulties.

But last night, Mr Buttimer said the council was now prepared to look again at investing in an events centre.

“The proposal to conduct a review of the development of a large scale event centre in Cork is timely, given that three potential planning applications have been granted in the city over the past number of years,” he said.

“However, it would be important to determine the effects such developments would have on existing facilities, notably the Cork Opera House, of which the city council is a majority shareholder.”

Mr Buttimer also said there was an obligation on the private developers behind the three projects to indicate the level of support they would require from either the local authority or from national funding sources to ensure that any venture was viable.

“The private sector should be mindful of the very difficult economic times in which we are living,” he said.