Preliminary business case for long-awaited Cork event centre approved

A preliminary business case for Cork’s long-awaited event centre has been approved, the Cabinet will be told today.

Last December, the preliminary business case for the project was submitted to the Department of Housing, Heritage, and Local Government.

Now, the approval has been given for the business case in line with infrastructure guidelines from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

According to a memo seen by The Echo, the “Cork City Council Project Development Board for the centre has proposed a delivery model, which means the council will partner with a project delivery partner responsible for the provision of land, partial funding, and all activities related to design, construction, and operation”.

The next step is for the Department of Housing, Heritage, and Local Government to write to Cork City Council to notify the local authority that approval has been granted.

This will pave the way for the project to enter into the tendering process and the “finalisation of a detailed project briefing”.

Preferred bidder

The memo said that “the engagement process with the previous preferred bidder for the project remains ongoing”.

The sod for the centre was turned at the former Beamish & Crawford site by then taoiseach Enda Kenny in February 2016.

However, the project has been stalled since then.

The venue is set to have 6,000 seats, and it could now cost up to €150m.

It is now anticipated that a submission from Cork City Council to move to the next stage will be in May.

The final site for the centre is yet to be decided, with rival options to South Main St, including a site on the South Docklands, having been proposed.

A procurement process was announced in 2024 for the project, which had the aim of ensuring that the project stayed in compliance with EU procurement laws.

Delivery team

Over a year ago, a project management delivery team for the development was set up. 

It includes members of the business community in Cork, Government department representatives, and other agencies.

A preliminary market consultation was published last September, with a call out for expressions of interest in relation to developing the centre.

The consultation sought engagement “with suitably experienced developers, as well as operators and promoters within the live entertainment and events industry, to seek advice in relation to the council’s procurement plans and requirements”.

The procurement process is being overseen by Aecom, a global project management firm with an office in Cork.