Coalition leaders to discuss potential retendering of Cork's events centre 

A timeline on whether Cork’s proposed events centre is to go back out to tender will emerge following a decision by Government, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said.

Mr Martin was speaking to reporters in Cork this morning, ahead of a planned meeting of the three coalition leaders, where a memo on the retendering of the controversial project is due to be discussed.

With a general election strongly expected to be announced in the coming weeks, it is understood that a decision by Cabinet on retendering the events centre may go to Cabinet as early as tomorrow. 

The sod was turned on the former Beamish and Crawford site by then taoiseach Enda Kenny on February 12, 2016, 10 days before a general election, but since then the project has been hobbled by delays and spiraling costs.

Initially, the consortium that won the tender for the centre, Bam and Live Nation Gaiety, was expected to benefit from €20m in State funding — which was later increased to €50m and then to €57m. 

It is understood that a further €30m to €40m will now be required.

A decision on that additional funding had initially been flagged as likely before the summer recess, and was then expected to occur before the budget.

Asked on Monday if the events centre would ever happen, Mr Martin said he believed it would, but he said “legal issues have arisen in terms of the need to retender”.

“There will be a memo coming before Government, I don’t want to go into too much detail until it goes before Government, but you will recall in 2021 we approved additional investment of up to about €57m,” the Tánaiste said.

“That decision was taken and then a detailed design occurred and happened, but it was always the understanding that there would be more funding required given the inflationary spiral post-Covid, post the invasion of Ukraine, and that has materialised, so there will be substantially more funding required from the Government, which Government will be prepared to support but there are legal obstacles which Government can’t escape.” 

He added that he believed Government had to be “honest with the people in terms of presenting the truth as it is”.

Asked if there was a timeline for the decision on retendering, Mr Martin said: “That will all come out in terms of the Government decision”.