Micheál Martin ‘shocked’ at events centre delay

The Government has engaged in the “worst piece of modern-day electoral cynicism” in relation to Cork’s proposed event centre, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has claimed.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Martin said he is “shocked” at the lack of progress on the project, which he said is stifling tourism in the city.

Mr Martin has also called for the creation of a business and finance hub in Cork, similar to Dublin’s IFSC, to keep young professionals working and living in the city.

The 6,000-seater event centre has faced significant delays since contractors BAM and the venue’s operators, Live Nation, first won a competitive tender in 2014 for a €20m state-aid package.

Last year, Live Nation ordered a redesign of the centre on the former Beamish and Crawford site to make the venue “commercially viable” and costs have now risen to close to €73m.

As a result, a further €18m in state funding was requested earlier this year which has caused further setbacks.

Mr Martin claimed former taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Simon Coveney must have been aware the project was severely stalled when they turned the sod on the centre in February 2016.

“The sod was dug — imagine this — the sod was dug before the last general election by Enda Kenny and Simon Coveney and the developers,” he said. “I would love to ask Enda Kenny what kind of sod did he think he was digging?

“Most times when you dig a sod the diggers are in the following day and they are building the centre.

“It’s probably one of the worst pieces of modern-day electoral cynicism, bar the abolition of USC which was promised as well, but this ranks as the highest.

“They must have known it wasn’t going to happen and we are now apparently nowhere near the realisation of an events centre for Cork.”

Mr Martin said he has been told that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is currently examining state aid issues around the project.

“It’s imperative that 2018 would see some movement on the event centre,” said Mr Martin.

“It’s a huge potential winner for tourism for the city centre, and for the wider region but for the city centre in particular and it could be the catalyst to rejuvenate the city centre.”

While work on the events centre has yet to start, other developments on the site, including student apartment and retail space have progressed.

Separately, Mr Martin suggested that a business and finance hub, similar to Dublin’s IFSC, should be established in Cork City.

“Financial services would help us keep a lot of younger people from a financial qualification background in the city,” he said. “A lot of younger people in the professional services are going to Dublin or London and other parts of Britain and that concerns me.”

Mr Martin added that the biggest challenge facing the country is the lack of balanced development, with too much of a focus on Dublin.

He said the docklands area of the city would be a perfect location for a new financial services centre in Cork.

“I think we have enough brain-power with the new business school in Cork, CIT have very strong programmes as well so there the is the political mass there in terms of education,” said Mr Martin.