'It's the people's money': Calls for transparency on events centre

It is “vital” to have transparency on the Cork events centre, a Labour Party local election candidate for the South East ward has said. Peter Horgan was refused documentation relating to the events centre, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

Several documents were sought by Mr Horgan, including a consultant’s report to Cork City Council on the conference-and-concert market in Cork, a consultant’s report to Cork City Council on the final cost-benefit analysis of a multi-functional events centre, and Cork City Council’s final business case.

“These are the crucial and critical documents that must be released,” Mr Horgan said. 

“It is vital that we have full and open transparency on this project. People want it to succeed, but the runaway costs incurred, to date, and supposedly about to be pledged, demand greater public scrutiny. It should not be decided behind closed doors. It’s the people’s money. One of these documents is the final cost-benefit analysis. That has to be released.”

Mr Horgan also wrote to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the committee on housing to investigate the matter. Following the completion of the design for the events centre, by the BAM-Live Nation consortium in the autumn of 2023, Cork City Council cost-verified the final design and submitted documents to the Department of Housing and these are being reviewed.

The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) said the reason for denying Mr Horgan access was that the documents form part of a live, deliberative process and releasing them into the public domain would compromise the decision-making and prejudice the ability of all parties involved in the negotiations.