AN TAISCE has joined heritage campaigners in lodging an appeal against plans for a €150 million redevelopment of the Beamish and Crawford site in Cork.
The proposal, a joint venture by Heineken Ireland and Bam Construction, includes a 6,000-seat event centre, cinemas, retail, offices and student accommodation in seven buildings ranging in height from four to seven storeys, to be built on a four-acre riverside site at South Main Street.
In its appeal to An Bord Pleanála, An Taisce says elements of the design for the Brewery Quarter are “completely inappropriate”.
The conservation group says the proposed use of the iconic Counting House building is inappropriate, as are two design blocks fronting on to South Main Street.
It criticises the scale and design of the event centre as it is located in a “sensitive city centre location”. It also claims the provision of student accommodation in the immediate area is already well catered for.
The building height, which rises to seven storeys, prompts concerns given the precedent it might set for future development of the city centre.
Finally, the group says the plans fail to include a riverside amenity area for public use in the city centre.