Brewery site should be jewel in cultural crown

THE proposed development at the Beamish & Crawford site would seem to be the wrong size, in the wrong place, to be used for the wrong reasons.

It smacks of all that has been wrong in property development in Ireland for the last decade, shoving as much commercial floorspace into as tight a spot as possible. Just the traffic implications should rule it out.

This site should be the centre of a heritage trail running from the Gaol cross to the UCC Quad, the Honan Chapel, Canty’s field, St FinBarres, Elisabeth Fort, Southgate Bridge, Bishop Lucey Park and The English Market.

It is absolutely appropriate that an events centre should be in the docklands area. To shoehorn an events centre in the Beamish & Crawford site makes no sense.

If treated sensitively it could be the centre of a cultural area deserving of international recognition.

Couldn’t the development of this site be associated with the development of Elisabeth Fort on one side and Christ church on the other, anchoring it in a wider cultural/ heritage area?

I just think more imagination is required — let’s get some green space at least.

A microbrewery and brewery museum, a museum dedicated to the wine geese, and an incubation centre for entrepreneurship would all demonstrate the power of Irish entrepreneurial spirit.

It is a jewel in the heart of Cork and I believe it could shine and bring revenues to the city if treated sensitively, imaginatively and with some flair. Let’s aim a bit higher.

John O’Connell

Broomfield

Midleton