Cork City Council to host special meeting to discuss event centre funding

Councillors call for the withdrawal of a request for additional state funding for the controversial project

With €57m in state funding already pledged, costs have soared for the proposed event centre at the former Beamish & Crawford on South Main Street in  Cork.

Three city councillors have forced the holding of a special meeting of Cork City Council to discuss their calls for the withdrawal of what they say is a request for additional state funding for the controversial event centre project.

The meeting will have just that one item on the agenda - their motion that the council “rescinds the request for additional funding from central government in respect of the contract with BAM for the Cork event centre and instead secures central government funding for a publicly owned and operated” venue.

It follows the surprise serving of a Section 140 notice on Lord Mayor, Kieran McCarthy, at the council's February meeting as it was dealing with the minutes of a meeting of the council’s February 6 meeting of its corporate policy group (CPG).

The notice, which was handed over by Rabharta Glas Cllr Lorna Bogue, was signed by her, as well as Worker’s Party Cllr Ted Tynan and Solidarity Cllr Brian McCarthy.

The CPG meeting included a motion from Ms Bogue seeking an update on the event centre and any related expenditure. A response said a detailed discussion on the event centre took place at a briefing for councillors on January 29 in relation to the estimated €2.5bn investment in housing, sustainable transport, parks, public spaces and climate resilience earmarked for the city centre over the coming five years.

The media was briefed on the same investment package the following day. That briefing also featured questions and an update on the event centre.

But Ms Bogue suggested that Ms Doherty had prepared the investment package presentation only when RTÉ's Prime Time started asking questions about the event centre. It broadcast a report on the saga on February 1, featuring an interview with Ms Doherty. 

Ms Bogue said: “If she can brief the national broadcaster on this issue, then she may brief council members on it as well. 

And the fact that the chief executive must be compelled to do so, rather than us reading about it in the newspapers, or seeing it on television, certainly reflects the priorities of the council.

Fine Gael Cllr Des Cahill rounded on Ms Bogue and said didn’t attend the January 29 briefing for councillors, nor the CPG meeting where she could have discussed her motion.

“She’s talking in a vacuum of facts purely because she wasn't at the meetings,” he said.

“If you are bringing it to a public forum at this stage, with that ferocity, with a public attack on the chief executive, the facts should be put out there that you failed to attend the briefing, and you failed to attend the CPG where it was also discussed.” 

Ms Doherty also defended herself and said there was no attempt "to retrofit" anything around an interview with Prime Time. She also said it is not a matter for council to decide on investment in the event centre.

“It is a national development plan project that's funded by central government. The last decision in relation to funding on the project was made by the Cabinet, not by Cork City Council,” she said.

Somewhat irregular

Officials said it was "somewhat irregular" to have a Section 140 served at a public meeting, but having considered the process, have deemed it valid. They have now arranged for the special meeting to be held on Tuesday evening.

It comes as the Cabinet is poised to consider a memo from the department of local government on the final costings for the venue, which had its sod turned eight years ago this month.

With €57m in state funding already pledged, costs have soared by what some sources have suggested could be anywhere between €35m and €45m.

Following the completion of detailed design work by developers BAM and venue operators Live Nation last summer, the council conducted a cost validation exercise and has submitted a detailed report on the increased costs to the department of local government.

It in turn will prepare a memo for Cabinet which will ultimately make the funding decision.

Speaking in Cork last week, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the venue has the potential to be a “major catalyst for growth” of business in the city, and that the Cabinet will be looking at the “broader picture” when it comes to deciding on whether to approve additional funding or not.

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