TUE, 07 FEB, 2023 - 10:10
The site of the Event Centre on South Main Street Cork on the former Beamish & Crawford Brewery site, beside the south channel of the River Lee. Pic: Larry Cummins
AMY NOLAN
AHEAD of the seventh anniversary of the turning of the sod on Cork’s long-awaited event centre, key players involved in the project have, in recent days, stated that construction is expected to begin in the second or third quarter of this year.
Beset for numerous reasons over the years, it looked as if the project had reached a significant milestone last February when it was announced that construction works were due to commence before the end of 2022.
However, this target was not achieved, with Cork City Council stating that construction did not commence “due to the fact the detailed design process has taken longer than was originally envisaged”.
“Currently it is expected that construction will commence at the beginning of Quarter 3, 2023,” the council stated.
“The completion of the event centre will take two years from construction commencement,” the local authority told The Echo in recent days.
However, in a statement, construction company BAM said works may get under way a little sooner.
“At our Brewery Quarter Development, we are currently working on completing our designs and costings for the event centre in conjunction with Live Nation, all going well we would hope to commence construction in the second quarter of 2023,” it stated.
“Elsewhere on the development, the 80,000sq ft Counting House office block has been completed and is currently being actively marketed, along with the retail units in the adjacent 430-bed student accommodation building competed in 2020.”
Last year, an additional €7m in State funding was announced for the 6,000-seat event centre.
The additional Government funding was approved to meet the cost of construction delays caused by the Covid pandemic.
Speaking to The Echo, Labour local area rep for Cork City Peter Horgan said he believes public confidence needs to be restored in the project, given the delays the project has seen.
“I would think that the public confidence in this project needs to be re-won by all stakeholders involved in the project,” he said.
“Everyone wants the events centre to be a success and to work, and you only need to look at the big concerts at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and at Musgrave Park to see that there’s a desire for a space where we can have concerts and other events.
“The Labour Party conference is coming to Cork in March.
“Thankfully, we are able to host it in Cork — but I would like to be in a position where many political parties could have their ard fheiseanna or national conferences in Cork, and an events centre might help that.
“Similarly, businesses are looking to attract major international conferences.
“However, until we see the diggers and the foundation and the bricks being laid, we’ll have to keep a very close watch on the events centre, because the people of Cork have been promised so much for so long on this project that it’s not unsurprising that many would be weary of continued announcements, but I remain hopeful that we can see the project come to fruition.”
Event centre construction could start in Q2 of 2023
"We are currently working on completing our designs and costings for the event centre in conjunction with Live Nation, all going well we would hope to commence construction in the second quarter of 2023,” BAM stated.
The site of the Event Centre on South Main Street Cork on the former Beamish & Crawford Brewery site, beside the south channel of the River Lee. Pic: Larry Cummins
AMY NOLAN
AHEAD of the seventh anniversary of the turning of the sod on Cork’s long-awaited event centre, key players involved in the project have, in recent days, stated that construction is expected to begin in the second or third quarter of this year.
Beset for numerous reasons over the years, it looked as if the project had reached a significant milestone last February when it was announced that construction works were due to commence before the end of 2022.
However, this target was not achieved, with Cork City Council stating that construction did not commence “due to the fact the detailed design process has taken longer than was originally envisaged”.
“Currently it is expected that construction will commence at the beginning of Quarter 3, 2023,” the council stated.
“The completion of the event centre will take two years from construction commencement,” the local authority told The Echo in recent days.
However, in a statement, construction company BAM said works may get under way a little sooner.
“At our Brewery Quarter Development, we are currently working on completing our designs and costings for the event centre in conjunction with Live Nation, all going well we would hope to commence construction in the second quarter of 2023,” it stated.
“Elsewhere on the development, the 80,000sq ft Counting House office block has been completed and is currently being actively marketed, along with the retail units in the adjacent 430-bed student accommodation building competed in 2020.”
Last year, an additional €7m in State funding was announced for the 6,000-seat event centre.
The additional Government funding was approved to meet the cost of construction delays caused by the Covid pandemic.
Speaking to The Echo, Labour local area rep for Cork City Peter Horgan said he believes public confidence needs to be restored in the project, given the delays the project has seen.
“I would think that the public confidence in this project needs to be re-won by all stakeholders involved in the project,” he said.
“Everyone wants the events centre to be a success and to work, and you only need to look at the big concerts at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and at Musgrave Park to see that there’s a desire for a space where we can have concerts and other events.
“The Labour Party conference is coming to Cork in March.
“Thankfully, we are able to host it in Cork — but I would like to be in a position where many political parties could have their ard fheiseanna or national conferences in Cork, and an events centre might help that.
“Similarly, businesses are looking to attract major international conferences.
“However, until we see the diggers and the foundation and the bricks being laid, we’ll have to keep a very close watch on the events centre, because the people of Cork have been promised so much for so long on this project that it’s not unsurprising that many would be weary of continued announcements, but I remain hopeful that we can see the project come to fruition.”
