Go-ahead for 500 new student bed spaces on Sullivan's Quay

Planning permission has been granted for a major student apartment development on a long-vacant Cork city site.

Bam Property Ltd has been given the go-ahead for the development on the former tax office site on the city's Sullivan's Quay, which was demolished in 2019.

Up to 500 apartment bed spaces in 67 apartments will be built on the site, ranging in size from four to eight beds with associated tenant amenity facilities, including a landscaped internal courtyard, a gym, an entertainment room and student hub.

The proposals should also benefit the surrounding streets as the plans provide for public realm upgrades on Sullivan’s Quay, Drinan St, Cove St and Meade St.

BAM acquired the almost one-acre site from the Revenue Commissioners two decades ago. They subsequently sought permission for a 183-bed hotel, including a 10-storey cylindrical tower, but the project was shelved due to the financial crash. Ten years later, they were given permission for another mixed-use development, including a 193-bed hotel with a 12-storey cylindrical tower, but that also failed to go ahead, after the tax office was demolished in 2019. The site has been held up as an eyesore for several years and is surrounded by hoarding.

In January 2026, they lodged the application for the new student accommodation in two distinctive blocks, ranging in height from five to 11 storeys, based on a design by Reddy Architecture + Urbanism.

Two extra floors

In July, Bam submitted revised plans which included the addition of two extra floors, bringing the tallest element of the development to 13 storeys. Other changes in the revised plans say the overall bedspaces were reduced from 503 to 495, with the overall number of apartments staying the same at 67. Bam also increased the number of bicycle spaces to 240.

In a planning decision this week, Cork City Council gave the go-ahead for the development, but one of the conditions requires Bam to reduce the height of the main tower by a single storey.

New student apartment buildings have featured strongly across Cork's city centre development works in recent years. Bam completed the 420-bed Leepoint in 2020 on the former Beamish & Crawford brewery site.

Bróga House on the site of the former Square Deal Furniture Store on Washington St/Western Road and Ashlin House on Bandon Road, which, between them, added 832 student beds in the city in 2022/2023.

UCC's Crow's Nest development at Victoria Cross added another 255, while Bottleworks, the largest PBSA in the city, added 623 beds in 2024.

Bam is currently engaged in the tendering process for the planned Events Centre for Cork. The Dutch-headquartered firm has long planned the development of a multi-functional concert arena on the site of the former Beamish & Crawford brewery site. Competitive bids for the events centre come from the Cork GAA with a proposal for the conference venue outside Páirc Uí Chaoimh and from Tom Coughlan's Urban Green Private at the Marina Market.