A project development board (PDB), led by Cork City Council, was established to expedite the process of retendering, after it was announced by the Government at the end of last year that this would be necessary given the time that had passed since permission was initially granted.

Figures provided to Fine Gael councillor Shane O’Callaghan by the council’s chief financial officer, John Hallahan, showed that €1,604,551 was spent on the event centre between 2014 and 2024, and provided breakdowns as to where this money went.

In an extension of duration application lodged with Cork City Council, Bam said numerous delays will lead to the current planning permission lapsing unless the extension is granted.

Labour Party TD Eoghan Kenny recently asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage about the timeline for making decisions relating to the retendering and development board engagement.

Labour councillor Peter Horgan asked who the members of the Project Development Board (PDB) for the events centre are, if they have met yet, and when councillors will be briefed.

Labour Party councillor for the city’s South East ward Peter Horgan said he wants to see representatives from government come to the council to explain why the long stalled project is being retendered.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said that given the current project costs “it is now clear that the procurement process undertaken for the events centre project, which commenced in 2014, cannot support the level of grant funding now required”.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin was speaking to reporters in Cork on 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.

The head of Aiken Promotions was speaking at the announcement of the first act in next year’s Live at the Marquee series, a Rory Gallagher celebration by US guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

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

Mick Finn, whose name will be on the Cork South Central ballot paper for the next general election, has said the long-awaited project must progress if the Government is “serious about investing in Cork as a counterbalance to Dublin”.

The legal action against Live Nation USA has been brought by the US Department of Justice and two dozen US states are seeking to break the link between Live Nation USA and Ticketmaster USA.

Cabinet gathered today for its last meeting of the term, during which RTÉ funding, disability services, and legislation around access to cash was discussed. The events centre was not on the agenda, despite promises from senior politicians that a decision on the funding would be made before the end of July.

It had been hoped the issue would be on the agenda at today's last cabinet meeting before the summer recess. 

He said that having spoken to the Taoiseach about the long-stalled Cork Events Centre, he was hopeful the Government would be able to finalise a decision on funding of the centre “before the end of this month”.

With a final decision due in the coming weeks, the Cork Business Association, Cork branch of the Irish Hotels Federation, Cork Chamber, Vintners Federation in Cork, and the Restaurant Association of Ireland have issued a statement highlighting the transformative potential of the project for the local economy and communit

Speaking to The Echo, Finance Minister Michael McGrath said that a decision on the events centre project, particularly in relation to commencement of construction, can be expected “very shortly”, following a final assessment by the Department of Housing.

Labour Party rep Peter Horgan was refused documentation relating to the events centre, under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

The deadline for a decision on additional state funding is drawing closer.

The Tánaiste said that the event centre project could help lead a rejuvenation of the city centre.

It was revealed at a meeting of Cork City Council in December that the event centre project would require an additional funding allocation following the completion of detailed design.

Ann Doherty told councillors to consider that, if they agreed yesterday evening to adopt the resolution of progressing a publicly-owned and operated event centre, it would “considerably delay” the delivery of such a facility. 

“I’m hoping that we will be in a position within a number of weeks to make a final decision on that [the request for additional funding],” Tánaiste Micheál Martin said, speaking to reporters in Cork on Monday

Speaking last week, Cork City Council’s chief executive, Ann Doherty, explained that the local authority has completed all of the necessary paperwork in relation to the request for further State funding.

A memo is to be submitted to Government seeking additional funding shortly. 

The issue was raised at a meeting of Cork City Council this week. 

A recommendation on an additional amount of State aid will be made “in due course”

Ann Doherty claimed building inflation has slowed development of the centre 

Detailed design of the Events Centre was completed by the Event Centre consortium in July 2023.

On a gloomy day in February 2016, 10 days before a general election, the then great and good posed for what surely promised to be an uncontroversial sod turning. Seven years and €1.5m later, with not a single brick laid, Donal O’Keeffe reflects on a now infamous photograph which haunts the still-unbuilt Cork Event Centre.

Last month, the chief executive of Cork City Council told The Echo that the detailed design had been completed.

Spending records, released under Freedom of Information (FoI) legislation, show that between April 2014 and May 2023, a total of €1,492,178.64 has been spent on the project, with €1m provided by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media

It has been revealed that almost €1.5million of public spending has been spent on the project despite a single brick being laid

The State is investing €57m into the project, while BAM and events management company Live Nation are contributing another €35m.

We need to talk about the long-awaited Cork Events Centre, so says John Dolan

"We are currently working on completing our designs and costings for the event centre in conjunction with Live Nation, all going well we would hope to commence construction in the second quarter of 2023,” BAM stated.

“We really want to see the Events Centre project proceed and we will do everything we possibly can to ensure that happens while recognising we are dependent here on private sector partners in the form of Live Nation and BAM," Michael McGrath said.

It comes following the announcement of €15m in Budget 2023 for the project.

One line from the budget states that “€15 million is being provided to support for Cork City Council’s advancement of the Cork Events Centre project.” 

The city council says the overall construction programme is expected to be about 18 months duration.

This week it was announced that construction on the 6,000 seater venue is set to begin later this year and it is understood the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy told The Echo he would be calling on Cork City Council to address subsidence along the quay wall on French’s Quay, damage which he predicted could only worsen whenever construction begins on the planned event centre.

The news was confirmed yesterday, along with the announcement of an additional €7m in State funding for the 6,000-seat event centre.

In a statement this afternoon, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he welcomed the progress the project, with funding arrangements now completed by Cork City Council and construction set to start this year.

Councillors have this evening been advised of the “next step” in the project from Cork City Council’s perspective.

“Internally a lot of issues have been resolved and there’s huge confidence that construction will actually start." 

THE detailed design for the Cork events centre has been completed, Cork City Council has said in response to a progress update request from a city councillor.

Concerns have been raised about the Cork Event Centre’s absence from the Project Ireland 2040 update that was published yesterday.

TALKS between the three key parties involved in the long-awaited Cork Events Centre are continuing despite the challenges Covid-19 has posed to the global live entertainment industry.

A CITY Hall official has said that “significant progress” has been made regarding the Cork Events Centre.