Club owners appeal plan for student housing

Owners of two of Cork’s best-known nightclubs have lodged appeals against a decision to grant planning for student apartments on the former Beamish and Crawford site.

The move is likely to further delay development of an events centre on the site.

Paul Montgomery, owner of Rearden’s, on Washington St, and Joseph O’Sullivan, of Pentagon Entertainments, who owns The Hanover, off Washington St, have lodged An Bórd Pleanála appeals against Cork City Council’s decision to grant planning to BAM for its revised student apartment complex.

Mr Montgomery says he has concerns that student apartments so close to established night-time venues, without adequate noise-mitigation, could lead to conflict over noise and difficulties in the renewal of annual licences for businesses in Cork’s entertainment hub.

The apartments, which will have capacity for just over 400-students, are part of BAM’s €150m Brewery Quarter project, on the former brewery site, which also includes a 6,000-seat events centre.

But the events centre has been dogged by delays and controversy for almost two years.

Last month, BAM boss, Theo Cullinane, said they could start construction on the events centre in September, if the Government sanctions a €12m increase in public funding. But the planning appeals won’t be decided until July, which is likely to delay any construction on the events centre.

Mr Montgomery and Mr O’Sullivan both say they support the events centre. But in submissions to the council, Mr O’Sullivan’s consultants say he has concerns about apartment blocks, up to eight storeys high, overlooking late-night roof-top nightclub areas and smoking rooms.

He also says that unless there are major changes to the design of apartment blocks on the brewery site’s northern boundary, neighbouring sites will be “effectively sterilised” for future development.

Mr Montgomery’s consultants say he has similar concerns, and say that the Washington St, Hanover St, and South Main St area is Cork city’s established late-night entertainment hub, with businesses there generating up to €30m annually for the local economy: “The compatibility of a residential scheme of 417 occupants, many of whom will occupy ground-floor apartments, alongside adjacent and established outdoor smoking areas, and upper-floor apartments with extensive glazing overlooking late-night roof-top nightclub areas, is an obvious cause for concern.”

Their submission says the design of the apartments is incompatible with Mr Montgomery’s, and neighbouring businesses’, and would lead to difficulties in the renewal of annual licences for the established nightclub activity in his, and neighbouring, venues.

Meanwhile, BAM has submitted final designs and costings for the event centre to the team at Cork City Council overseeing the project. The document, which it is understood includes a request for another €12m in public funding, will be forwarded to the Department of Arts, for further consideration.