Government expected to approve a further €35m-€45m for Cork event centre
On the eighth anniversary of the now infamous sod-turning ceremony, the site of the proposed Cork Event Centre on South Main St in Cork remains undeveloped. Picture: Larry Cummins
The Government looks set to approve tens of millions of euro in additional state funding to build the Cork event centre amid criticism about the “shroud of secrecy” over the amounts involved.
On Monday — the eighth anniversary of the infamous sod-turning ceremony — Tánaiste Micheál Martin refused to be drawn on how much extra is required to ensure delivery of the proposed 6,000 capacity venue in the heart of Cork City, which already has some €57m pledged through a combination of grants and state aid.
It is understood that between €35m and €45m extra could be required to deliver the venue.
Cork City Council, which is overseeing the tortuous process, has submitted a raft of documents on those final costings from developers BAM and venue operators, Live Nation, to the Department of Local Government, which will prepare a memo for Cabinet which will ultimately make the decision “in a matter of weeks” on whether to sanction the additional funding required.
Mr Martin was asked on Monday if the Government is prepared to approve additional funding on top of the €57m already pledged.
He said the Government is now “looking at the broader picture” in terms of the proposed venue’s impact on the city as it assesses the request but added: “I don’t want to preempt the decision of government, but government have been very supportive of this project from the get-go — successive governments have. And, on the last occasion it came before us, we okayed a very significant increase in what was then the original figure that government had offered.”
He confirmed that the Department of Housing has received the memo from the city council and said: “We have to give it due diligence.”
However, Mr Martin said the venue has the potential to be a “major catalyst for growth” of business in the city.
“The event centre is a project that has the potential to bring in a lot more visitors to the city and the county in years to come,” he said, “and particularly in terms of large conferences, big sporting events, and so on.
“We just saw the recent Munster-Crusaders game, with over 45,000 people in Páirc Uí Chaoimh again illustrating the importance of such events. I spoke to local publicans and retailers who all did very well that day.
“Just imagine an event centre in the centre of Cork having a regular series of events of different kinds and the impact that would have on the city’s economy.
“So it’s the broader picture we’re looking at.”
He said such a venue would add to the overall attractiveness of the city as a place in which to live, work, and recreate and have a very good quality of life.
“That’s what we’re about — the rebalancing of the country’s economy, developing strategically strong cities of global scale, like Cork, Limerick and Galway and so on.”
However, Labour Party local election candidate Peter Horgan, who has submitted several freedom of information (FOI) requests on the project, said the process has now reached “a crisis point”.
“The shroud of secrecy cloaking this project is shameful. It is mind boggling," he said.
“The public deserve to know why the lámh is amach again for their money.
“If we are looking at this sort of public investment we, the people, need to have a place on the board to safeguard the public investment.”
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