THE CORK city manager has welcomed a proposal by property developer Owen O’Callaghan to build a €50 million 5,000-seat events centre in the city as another developer revealed he planned to proceed with a similar-sized facility.
Joe Gavin said yesterday it was encouraging to see a proposal for an events centre from O’Callaghan Properties. He added that he was aware of three other developers who had expressed interest in developing events centres at other locations in Cork.
Mr Gavin said Cork City Council was still seeking clarification from Clowater Asset Management on its plans to continue with a proposal by troubled developer Howard Holdings for a €33 million 5,500-seat events centre in the Cork docklands. “Our aim is to get an events centre for Cork as soon as possible . . . we have four parties expressing interest as well as Clowater Asset Management’s plan for the docklands.”
In 2007, in order to interest private developers in building an events centre, Cork City Council offered €8.25 million in equity to a developer. Howard Holdings was successfully applied to build an events centre on part of its 12-acre site near Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Mr Gavin said he hoped to obtain clarification within weeks from Clowater which is operating the 12-acre docklands site for the owners Alleyquay Investments, as to whether they intend to proceed with the events centre which was granted planning permission in 2009.
Meanwhile, O’Callaghan Properties announced details of its plan for a 5,000-seat centre on its two-acre site at Albert Quay, within walking distance of Cork city centre.
According to O’Callaghan the seven-storey development would involve the construction of a 260-bedroom four-star hotel.
Clowater Asset Management managing director Jason Clerkin said the company was in discussion with planners to amend its permission to allow it to provide temporary access to its site given the likely delay in infrastructural work to raise road levels in the area.
Mr Clerkin said that once this issue about providing temporary access was resolved, he expected that construction work on the events centre would commence within 12 months for the first phase of the company’s overall proposal for the docklands.