Michael McGrath insists State 'committed' to long-delayed Cork event centre
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The State remains committed to delivering the long-delayed Cork event centre, with €50m in public funding still ring-fenced for it, the minister for public expenditure has said.
However, Michael McGrath said the State can’t deliver the project on its own.
“We are dependent on project partners here in the private sector, BAM and Live Nation, but this Government remains committed to the event centre project,” he said.
Mr McGrath was speaking in Cork at the launch of the €165bn National Development Plan (NDP) on Monday. The event centre, which had its sod turned in 2016 but has yet to see construction start, is mentioned in chapter 12 of the NDP, which relates to "enhanced amenity and heritage projects".
A paragraph on the project on page 114 says the proposed 6,000-capacity city centre venue earmarked for a site on South Main St represents “a major contribution to urban regeneration, enhanced amenity and heritage, and increased quality of life for Cork”.
It says the proposed venue will aid the wider economic potential and balanced regional development of the southern and midwestern region.
However, it has been dogged over the years by planning, funding, design, and legal delays.
The NDP says while there were some “unavoidable delays due to Covid-19”, the project is now proceeding to the next stages which are the finalisation of the funding agreement, the completion of detailed design, and the commencement of construction.
It was confirmed by Cork City Council last month that following months of engagement between all the key parties, there is now an “agreement in principle on all the substantive issues” linked to the complex funding agreement designed to deliver the venue on South Main St.
Mr McGrath addressed questions about the event centre project directly at the NDP launch.
“There has been ongoing work by all the key stakeholders, Cork City Council, Live Nation, and BAM, and work continued right through the pandemic to agree the legal terms on which the public funding will be made available to the event centre," he said.
“That work is now nearing completion. I understand there is agreement in principle on all the substantive issues in the funding agreement.”
Mr McGrath said Live Nation and BAM are working to “mobilise their design teams” so they can be fully engaged once corporate approval is secured from Live Nation.
He insisted that the exchequer commitment of €50m of public funding remains in place.
A major public realm improvement scheme is also proposed by Cork City Council around the former Beamish and Crawford brewery site, with Bishop Lucey Park and the streetscape set for major regeneration.
BAM, which owns the former brewery site, has developed a new plaza in front of the restored Counting House.