Port Activities And Had Historic To Docks Quay Cork Springboard Links Property

Cork docks springboard property had links to historic port and quay activities — Of Cork, Quays Included Victoria The Inc Albert Hour File Cummins Of Idle Changing Pic larry Quay Naviagation City Road, 1 One Port Bar, Square, Faces

Thu, 15 Aug, 2024 - 12:15

Property Editor Tommy Barker reports

A springboard opportunity into Cork city’s 21st century docklands development has come to market between several city bars, courtesy of a thriving business with 19th century ties to the port and quay activities.

Up for sale is the well-titled 1 Victoria Rd, situated between the Idle Hour bar, the Port Bar and Goldbergs bar/restaurant at No 4.

1 Victoria Road was a key base for 1800s-founded Doyle Shipping Group. Agents Cushman & Wakefield guide the development opportunity at €575,000

It’s at the far corner of a block that included the former Sextant Bar site, now earmarked for 214 cost rental apartments in a JCD Group scheme just confirmed this week with city council backing.

It’s a stone’s throw from the River Lee, the historic Port of Cork site and other developments worth many hundreds of millions of euros on either side of it — both delivered and pending — including many hundreds of apartments at Kennedy Quay, the Sextant site, and down the Marina.

River setting looks to city's 21st century downstream evolution

The three-storey, approximately 4,000sq ft Victoria Rd property had been the administrative office of long-established Doyle Shipping Group, now in its third generation of Doyle family ownership since being founded as a stevedoring business in 1886 by DF Doyle.

The Doyle company now operates in four countries, with seven port/logistics bases in Ireland, as well as in China, Austria, and Spain.

No 1 Victoria Rd comes to market this week with agents Siobhan Young and Peter O’Flynn, of Cushman & Wakefield, with a €575,000 AMV and who predict “there will be strong interest at this level”.

Plans for redevelopment for a restaurant and overhead apartments at the adjoining Port Bar were lodged this summer, with a decision due by month’s end.

Now, with No 1 Victoria Rd available, Cushman & Wakefield’s managing director Peter O’Flynn says: “It’s an interesting property for sure, a building which was synonymous with the working of the docks going back over generations, and it is now at the start of a new transition to the future of Cork Docklands.”

“With the Navigation Square office scheme immediately adjacent and the Railyard Apartment development just announced (at the Sextant/Carey Tool Hire site), Victoria House is right at the heart of what is likely to be the biggest change in Cork city for over a century,” Mr O’Flynn adds.

No 1 Victoria Rd/Victoria House has the hugely popular Idle Hour bar to its immediate right hand side on the corner with the O’Callaghan Properties’ Navigation Square on the quays and behind Victoria House.

File shot from early 2018 shows Cork south docks work in train, including Navigation Square, the Elysian, One Albert Quay, along with the Idle Hour and 1 Victoria Road. Image: Larry Cummins

Meanwhile, businessman Packo Maguire is behind proposals for the redevelopment of the former Port Bar at No 2 Victoria Rd.

Mr Maguire envisages demolition, retention of the façade, and construction of a four-storey building with restaurant on the ground level, plus three two-bed apartments overhead — one per floor.

It’s currently three storeys and is in an architectural conservation area around Albert Quay and Victoria Road area: No 2 is lower than No 1 — with the latter likely to be wholly redeveloped subject to planning.

Also close by is Goldbergs bar and restaurant at No 4 Victoria Rd, upgraded from the former Marina Bar.

The Marina Market is downriver, on the far side of O’Callaghan Properties’ Kennedy Quay site, now being cleared for large-scale mixed use development to include private hospital, apartments, and offices.