Stalled Cork events centre won’t be open in 2018 as promised

Design delays on the stalled €53m Cork events centre means it is unlikely to be open in 2018, as predicted at the sod turning in February.

Following months of uncertainty, it was confirmed yesterday that agreement has only been reached in recent days to appoint an architectural team to complete the internal designs of the 6,000-seater venue — a process expected to take up to two months.

The outcome of this process will inform talks in October aimed at nailing down final costings for the project, which is set to receive up to €20m in public funding.