Drive-thru plan for Tivoli

Ever in advance of Port of Cork’s move from sites in Tivoli and Cork city’s docks, the first handful of changes are starting to take place on Cork city’s eastern fringes, either side of the landmark Silversprings hotel - an entity which changed hands itself last December as part of the €455 million Dalata Hotel Group takeover of the Moran-Bewley hotels chain.

The 109-bed hotel, plus 1,600 person conference centre complex is now rebranded as Clayton Silversprings Hotel, 3km from the city by the north city ring road’s flyover access point.

Now, adding to the changes in the locale are a proposed new Supermacs drive-thru’ on a former Texaco garage site between the hotel and the Tivoli skew bridge, as well as tool hire H&S, taking over the former McCormack MacNaughton construction plant company’s 1.7 acre site and over 10,000 sq ft of buildings.

A planning decision is imminent on the Supermac’s proposal for a fast food restaurant and drive-thru on the old N8/N25 Lower Glanmire Road site, next to a just revamped Maxol station. Separately, on a larger scale, the Galway-based company last month opened a €6m new food court and Topaz filling station at the Tipperary Town Plaza.

The Tivoli Cork 0.6 acre ex-Texaco site with 65m of frontage had been on the market with selling agents Downing Commercial, and sold for an unconfirmed €300-400,000 sum, being acquired by Supermac’s Pat McDonagh, who now has 100 restaurants in his 1978-founded chain, along with several hotels.

Apart from expanding Supermac’s chain, McDonagh’s most recent hotel acquisition is the Killeshin, Portlaoise.

If successful in getting planning, Supermac’s will join other recently opened drive-thrus around Cork, with two new McDonalds opened in Ballincollig and just last month at the Kinsale Road by Musgrave Park.

Part of the Supermac’s Tivoli site has been excavated and sheet-piled for development, and had FPP for a four-storey over-basement apartment block of 18 units.

• Also in the vicinity, agents Lisney and Savills have found a tenant for the former McCormick MacNaughton 1.7 acre site by the North Ring Road/Tivoli flyover, and will relocate its existing business from across the city at the Kinsale Road.

The property - next to the Cork-Midleton rail line and Tivoli docks access points, had been on the market guiding a rent of €70,000 pa, and earlier, back in 2011 had been offered for sale for €1.7m.

Details

: Downing Commercial 021-427100 Lisney 021-4275079 Savills 021-4271371