Taoiseach cannot say when Cork Event Centre build will start
Taoiseach Micheál Martin would not give a commitment on when construction work of the Event Centre will begin.
The Taoiseach cannot make any promises on when construction of Cork's much-delayed Event Centre will begin.
Construction on the long-stalled multi-million euro project, which will be part-funded by the taxpayer, had been due to begin before the end of this year with a 2024 completion date provided. However, this has yet again been delayed.
Speaking to the , Micheál Martin said it would be wrong to give any commitment on when construction work will begin or when the centre will open.
"I'm not going to make any predictions on it because it's been an issue that has dragged on for quite a considerable length of time. I think we are beginning to see the light now, the company has shown its commitment by doing the detailed design and when it gets to the detailed design stage we should be in a position to start construction."
Asked whether the State's financial contribution could again increase, Mr Martin said: "I'm not saying yay or nay to anything."
But Mr Martin stressed that the State has committed a significant amount to the project.
"Since the Government was formed, I've been saying: 'Any project we announce please don't be announcing price tags. So don't say the €200 million hospital,' because all that does is it becomes the baseline for whoever is bidding potentially.
"If someone feels it's a political imperative that something has to happen that I think, balances the scale against the State."
He added: "If it's electorally time bound, you create all sorts of pressures that could lead to poor decision making. I think we need to be more disciplined, politicians need to be more disciplined into the future, in my view, because the public don't buy into those kinds of promises anymore."
In the six years since a turning ceremony at the site, the project has been hit with setbacks from redesigns, to soaring costs, funding issues, planning appeals and a potential High Court challenge before the global pandemic hit.
Last February, the Government agreed to plough another €7m into the project to meet the cost of construction delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, bringing to €57m the overall State funding package.
It is to be co-financed by a €35m investment by the Live Nation/BAM consortium which won the bid for the State aid following a tender process.
A construction start date of Q4 of this year and a completion date of 2024 were also outlined when the additional funding towards the proposed 6,000-capacity venue on the city’s South Main Street was approved by the Government in February.
However, Mr Martin said: "I never promised anything before the last election about this and I'm not going to promise anything before the next election. Obviously, we will know before the next election whether this is a reality or not because we're not going to be hanging around making decisions, we have made a decision, we have allocated additional money and the detailed design is happening."
Mr Martin said it is important that economic development is rebalanced across the country with a focus on Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway.
"The Event Centre clearly would be a very significant fillip for Cork city and the surrounding areas, and would lead to this creation of an international second city in the country," the outgoing Taoiseach said.
In a pointed dig at former Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, who turned the sod on the project in early 2016, Mr Martin said: "I haven't dug any sods but we have allocated further funding earlier this year."
