Cost of Cork's €85m event centre expected to soar further
Picture: Of Generated Populous Image Cork The Puter Centre A Proposed Event
The cost of building the proposed €85m Cork event centre is set to soar again, casting fresh doubt on assurances that construction would finally start this year — more than seven years after the official sod-turning.
City councillors were told last night that the completion of the detailed designs for the proposed 6,000-capacity venue, which is in line for some €57m in State investment, has resulted in a cost increase.
Talks about the increased costs are ongoing, and a revised timeline for delivery cannot be provided until those talks are completed, they were told.
It is the latest controversy to hit the beleaguered project, which saw its sod turned in February 2016 but which has yet to see construction start.
News of the increased costs emerged during the city council meeting in response to a written question from Independent councillor Mick Finn just weeks after the revealed that the consortium behind the project, BAM and Live Nation, had submitted final detailed designs for the proposed venue to city planners as part of the planning compliance process linked to the 2020 grant of planning for the building on South Main St.
Mr Finn sought an up-to-date report on the project indicating “any new asks of council or state”, as well as a revised timetable on delivery.
In her response, chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty, said the detailed designs which were completed by the consortium in July “indicate an increase in the cost of the event centre over previous estimates”.
“As discussions with the consortium are continuing in respect of this increase, it is not possible at this time to confirm a revised timetable for its delivery,” she said.
She told councillors that she cannot provide any detail on the increased costs until they have been validated, and she cannot provide any details on a revised timeline for delivery either while those talks on the increased costs are ongoing. She said she will bring those details to council as soon as possible.
Bam won the competitive tender for some €20m of State aid for the development of the venue in April 2014, which was estimated at the time to cost just over €50m.
The sod was turned on the site in February 2016, but it has been hit by various delays caused by planning, redesigns, requests for further State funding, threats of a legal challenge, and the covid pandemic.
Overall costs have, over that time, soared to some €85m, with the State investment in the project increased to €57m — more than the entire original cost estimate.
During his visit to Cork on Friday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was asked if he was embarrassed about the near eight-year delay since former taoiseach Enda Kenny turned the sod on the project just weeks before the 2016 general election, and if it was a political stunt.
“I think we all are [embarrassed], but quite frankly, it's a great project and it is going to happen and it has changed in the course of that time,” he said.
He said he did not believe it was fair to describe the sod turning as a political stunt.
“You know, anytime when you're a politician, if you do a sod turning or you do a ribbon cutting, you do it in good faith,” he said.
“You know, I'm sure at the time they didn't anticipate that the project will be as complicated as it turned out to be.”
Asked directly if the Government would plough more money into the project, he said: “Well, one thing I can say is it's a project that we're committed to and I think it'll be a huge boost for Cork, and Cork is a big city and it needs an event centre.
“The important thing is that we get the project up and running again and that it gets built.”