UCC puts CUBS building on hold and will also  identify surplus lands ‘usable for housing’

AS university stalls on plans for €115m business school on Cork's South Terrace, it's among 120 parties approaching Cork City Council for rezonings under NPF moves

Tide turned on planned €115m UCC CUBS business school on Cork's South Terrace, after 2019 site purchase for €17m

MAJOR city landowner University College Cork is to review its extensive land and property bank to identify which if any of its sites surplus to requirement might be suitable for housing/rezoning.

UCC is among the 119 applications this month to Cork City Council’s call under the National Planning Framework (NPF) for additional residential lands, to accelerate housing delivery.

The dozens of applications span city core and fringe area, including from the likes of Cairn Homes at Lotamore, JCD Group off the Mallow Road, Jacobs Engineering for a site in Mahon near other Bessborough adjacent sites with rezoning sought, along with a raft of house builders and landowners, for tracts of land, from infill to some in excess of 100 acres on all corners of the city boundary.

Among the applications is UCC which told City Hall it is “considering the question of the future use of part of its estate that may become surplus to requirements."

"In such context, UCC will work with the Council to progress consideration of how such lands might potentially become usable for housing.” 

UCC employs over 3,000 people and has expansive land assets, including at Curraheen, North Mall and the city centre, spanning some 86 hectares, with over three million square feet of built structures over c 150 buildings.

Meanwhile, the university is currently reviewing its capital projects plan: amongst them one of the largest is the Cork University Business School (CUBS) on Copley Street/South Terrace, bought in 2019 for over €17m, with work yet to commence on a project costed at €106m by UCC in its prior submission to the City Council’s 2022-2028 city development plan.

CGI of the RKD Architects' designed Cork City University Business School (CUBS) planned for 4,000 down-town students and over 300 staff

The former Brooks site aims to accommodate 4,000 students and over 300 staff. Other accounts of the cost of the 160,000 sq ft building designed by RJD architects has been in excess of €115 million as of 2022, when construction was slated for 2024.

Asked by the Irish Examiner if plans to progress the CUBS had been put on hold, a UCC spokesperson this week said “UCC is currently finalising its long-term plans for its Capital Projects, including the CUBS building.”

“Under this Capital Plan, all projects are assessed given significant recent construction inflation and changes in the provision and delivery of higher education.

"UCC will submit this Capital Plan for consideration by the Governing Authority in the coming months. UCC is fully committed to developing a building for its business school and will provide an update on Cork University Business School in the New Year,” said the spokesperson.