New planning permission may be needed for Cork events centre

The developers of Cork’s stalled event centre may have to apply for new planning permission after it emerged that they need to build a bigger venue.

The latest twist in the saga comes less than 24-hours after BAM told city councillors the project needs an extra €12m in public funding — double the amount already committed by Government - to ensure the 6,000-seat facility is built on the former Beamish and Crawford site.

The State has already committed €20m to get the project off the ground — €12m from Government and €8m from Cork City Council. However, councillors were told during the course of an almost two-hour private meeting with BAM executives on Monday that the Government will now have to double its investment to ensure the project is delivered.