Crunch talks to get events centre back on track

Crunch talks are expected to take place over the coming days in a bid to encourage Live Nation Ireland (LNI) back to the table to secure the delivery of a multi-million events centre in Cork.

It follows the withdrawal of the global entertainment giant from the final tender stage of the process which was set up to select the preferred developer of the venue.

LNI, which had been working with both O’Callaghan Properties and the BAM Heineken Ireland consortium, was poised to operate whichever venue was selected.

But its last minute decision to pull out of the process means neither developer has a confirmed venue operator in place.

Both developers were invited to submit final tenders by last Friday for consideration for up to €16m in state funding for the project.

BAM, which has planning permission for a €50m events centre as part of a wider regeneration of the former Beamish and Crawford site on South Main Street, was the only party to submit a final tender.

A spokesperson for BAM declined to comment yesterday on its tender, or on whether it has an operator on board, because the procurement process is still under way.

A spokesperson for OCP, which has planning for a €50m events centre on Albert Quay, said it could not submit a “compliant legal tender” because of the non-participation of Live Nation Ireland in this stage of the process.

“There is a specific requirement under the tenders conditions for an operator to be involved and to provide signed covenants for a tender to be accepted,” he said.

LNI was not available for comment last night. However, it is understood to have expressed certain concerns about terms and conditions which were linked to the investment of up to €16m of public money.

An independent panel, overseen by consultants PwC, spent the weekend examining the BAM tender to determine its validity — work that was ongoing last night. But LNI’s withdrawal has thrown the entire process into chaos.

It is understood that if the BAM tender is deemed invalid, the process will conclude without a recommendation from the independent panel.

It is then expected that talks will get under way between all the interested parties in a bid to resolve the various issues, and to find a new way to deliver the long-awaited project for the city.

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, who helped secure the €10m investment from government in last year’s budget, said he is still quite confident that Cork will get its events centre.