Tourism ‘needs action on events centre’
The company behind one of Cork’s major hotel developments has raised concerns over the lack of action on the delayed events centre.
Aaron Mansworth, Managing Director of Trigon Hotels, the group behind the planned seven-storey hotel called The M, said he hopes work will start on the hotel next year.
However, he said quick action is needed on the proposed 6,000 capacity events centre, which has been beset with numerous delays and setbacks, in order for the demand for new hotels to be justified.
“The lack of events centre is something we are concerned about. There are a lot of people who are depending on this project to drive demand in Cork,” he said.
“Otherwise, where is it coming from? We need action on it.”
The M hotel will be located on the site of the former PJ O’Hea garage on Patrick’s Quay and will be a sister hotel to the Metropole Hotel.
Mr Mansworth said different regulations for hotels compared to other short-term accommodation providers was also a concern.
He said the current regulatory framework, under which hotels are subject to certain rules not applying to some companies offering short-term lets, puts hotels at a disadvantage.
“Cork needs a level playing field in terms of regulations. As a hotel, there is a rigorous registration process, costs and requirements which many providers of short-term lets are not subject to.”
Mr Mansworth said figures from STR, which tracks tourism in the global hotel industry, showed tourism in Cork hotels was down six per cent on last year.
“We’re not afraid of competition or anything, but if we are going to have all these new hotels and developments, we need a major driver to demand. That is why the events centre needs to happen.”
The M is one of a number of hotel projects planned for the city centre in the coming months, in addition to the recently opened Maldron Hotel on South Mall.
A 165-bed hotel at Parnell Place, adjacent to the bus station, cleared planning earlier this summer and it is understood construction will commence in the fourth quarter of this year.
On Sullivan’s Quay, planning was granted to developers BAM to develop a 220-bed hotel and office block on the site of the former Revenue Commissioner’s building. However, construction has yet to begin, and the site has attracted controversy due to the rubble materials left on the site since its demolition phase.
Cork’s changing skyline
O’Callaghan Properties’ €90 million Navigation Square project on Albert Quay is also ongoing. Its Block B will be ready for fit-out in August, with the entire development to be completed by December 2021.
The €125 million Penrose Dock project by John Cleary (JCD) commenced construction at the end of 2018 and is expected to be completed in May 2020.
Permission was also granted for more than 6,000 square metres of office space at Camden Place. Despite developers Stone Work Properties Ltd saying construction would take only 12 months, work has yet to begin two and a half years on.
Another less progressed office development on Anderson’s Quay, also by O’Callaghan Properties, will commence work in 2020.
Student accommodation
Work has begun on a 145 student bed complex on Farranlea Road, while Summix WSC Developments is building a 228-bed, six-storey building on the former Square Deal site on Lancaster Quay.
In May, Cork City Council gave planning permission for a 623-bed facility on the former Coca-Cola bottling site on the Carrigrohane Road, while a 419-bed student accommodation development on Bandon Road near the Lough was also given the green light recently by An Bord Pleanála.
A planning decision is expected this month on 174-bed student accommodation on the former Kelleher Tyres site, also on Victoria Road. Plans have also been lodged for a 284-bed hostel on the site of the former tourist office on Grand Parade.
A city on the rise
High-rise plans are on the up across the city, with a 25-storey residential tower planned for Jacob’s Island and a 40-storey skyscraper touted for the historic Port of Cork.
Last week, it was revealed that JCD had lodged planning for a 25-storey apartment block on the former Sextant pub site on Albert Quay, the tallest building planned for the city’s docklands redevelopment.
Work is also ongoing on the mixed use Horgan’s Quay development near Kent Station, while last week planning was granted to convert the historic Victoria Hotel on St Patrick’s Street to a retail unit.