There is a “strong case” to be made for proceeding with building the Cork Event Centre despite soaring costs, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said.
According to most recent estimates, overall costs for the project have increased to around €85m, with State investment in the project increasing to €57m.
Construction has been substantially delayed since then-taoiseach, Enda Kenny, turned the sod on the project on February 12th, 2016.
Asked about future prospects for the centre given cost increases, Mr Martin said: “First of all, it has come to detailed design for the first time ever and a submission has now, I understand, come to the Minister for Housing. The Government will take a decision on that probably early in the new year if not beforehand.”
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“The balance to be weighed up is the overall benefits to the regional economy to the city of Cork in respect of a convention centre. Remember, Government strategy is to create strong regional cities, therefore they have to have centres that act as a magnet for attracting investment and tourism at conferences and so forth, so that’s the assessment we will make in respect of the convention centre. It will be not just been about convention centre itself but what will the impact be on the wider city and the wider region and the increased income coming in to the city as a result of provision of such a centre.”
Asked if he believed it was worth tens of extra million from Government, he said: “I think there is still a strong case, yes, to be made for the event centre.”
Meanwhile Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has responded to questions around the proposed building of a bypass for Midleton in Cork.
He indicated that a bypass for Castlemartyr could come first.
“In terms of Midleton ... this is down to very local conditions but I do think James O’Connor from Fianna Fáil has been making the case for Castlemartyr and Killeagh. I think he’s right, it isn’t always about big towns, like Midleton is already bypassed in effect. The through traffic going into Midleton isn’t that much through traffic actually, that’s already bypassed to the south. But Castlemartyr, its main street is all that traffic coming from Waterford to Cork so I think that probably would come ahead of Midleton.”
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