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PLANS FOR A new 34-storey hotel tower have been given the green light as part of a redevelopment of Cork City’s Custom House Quay site.
The Tower Holdings Group – a New York-based development company with Irish owners – said An Bord Pleánala had granted planning permission to build on the city’s Cork Harbour Commissioners site.
The decision upheld the previous permission from Cork City Council which faced several appeals from local groups.
Upon completion, the tower will be the tallest storied building on the island of Ireland – surpassing the 28-floor Obel Tower in Belfast and the 17-storey Elysian in Cork, among others.
The plans include a five-star hotel, a range of commercial units for retail, food, tourism and leisure, along with the protection and restoration of surrounding historic buildings.
“The new development will not only revitalise and enhance the site, but offer a programme of cultural events, food and beverage outlets, some office space and extensive recreational quayside public realm which will be fully accessible to citizens and visitors alike,” said the Tower Holdings Group in a statement welcoming the decision.
“The slender sculpted tower will form a contemporary new piece to complement the much loved historic composition, bringing new purpose and dynamism to the river Lee, as well as provide the city with a beacon to the future,” said Marco Gamini, lead architect for the project for Gensler.
In 2017 the Port of Cork sold the three-acre site in the city’s Custom House Quay to Tower Development Properties, a company formed by Kerry brothers Kevin and Donal O’Sullivan.
The site was put up for sale in 2016 through real estate agents Cushman & Wakefield with a guide price of €7 million. The final sale price is believed to be in the region of €5 million.
The brothers in recent years helped build parts of New York’s Ground Zero towers and 9/11 memorial, as well as Apple’s flagship store in the city.
“I believe this project will add great value to the city and boost the regeneration of the docklands. I have always believed in a strong future for Cork and we are proud to be part of this future as the world recovers from the pandemic,” Kevin O’Sullivan, CEO of Tower Holdings Group.
“Another key aspect in making the scheme a commercial success is the continuation of maritime activities on the river, ensuring the quays and jetties remain fully accessible and utilised by passenger cruise vessels, water-based transport/tourism and leisure craft to access the site and the city centre by river.”
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Great for Cork
Why is it Cork can do this but Dublin can’t? Even out in the docklands like?
@Seán O’Loughlin: coz we’re just way better than ye at everything…..except football maybe!
@Joe Kennedy: I’m not from Dublin.
@Seán O’Loughlin: An Bord Pleanála.
@Seán O’Loughlin: You could knock down Leinister house and build in there.
@Seán O’Loughlin: Because the center of cork is surrounded by higher ground, so tall buildings won’t stick out/ dominate the skyline too much
@Seán O’Loughlin: did you see the reaction to the kayaking centre? That’s why.
@alphasully: ? the centre of cork is at sea level sandwiched between a tidal river which floods the entire centre every so often.
@Petulant mcbarity: I wouldn’t go that far now maybe 3 times in my life the center was flooded
@Petulant mcbarity: There’s a good argument for kayaking in Cork, if it’s built on the flood plain! They could lease out the kayaks to shoppers during floods.
A planning decision with vision! Excellent!
Great news. Our cities need to grow upwards instead of sprawling forever outwards.
@Cormac Harrington: the only problem is this building is for offices and a usel3ss hotel instead full apartment allocation
The real capital
@Brenda Walsh: Dublin Junior
@Brenda Walsh: Typical chip on the shoulder narrow minded bogger comment.
@Brenda Walsh: with nowt in it.
@Eamon Morris: a Dublin skum comment
@stephen keane: Did I come on here calling people skum? No I didn’t! you people have a constant problem with people from Dublin, showing your true colours aren’t you little bigot!
@Brenda Walsh: Breda they will never get it. Just let the go off on one and lean back and marvel
@stephen keane: obsessed with Dublin ain’t you really .you see ot as a world away from your greenvilla
@Brenda Walsh: it wont happen
@Eamon Morris: I’m a dub haha
@TommyC: relax I was being sarcastic
@TommyC: as someone living in Cork I feel I need to point out, Cork has never been the capital, real or historical. Prior to Dublin the capitals were Cashel, Ferns and Kilkenny.
@Eamon Morris: oh Eamon you lost the right to argue when you used the word “Bogger”
@D. Memery: Good man you didnt let us down.
@Mark Reilly: it’s getting a really big building now.
@Eamon Morris: Eamon, you responded with an ad hominem attack to a tongue in cheek “real capital” comment. You lemon.
@Eamon Morris: do you need a hug.
The trade union wanted to knock down the old Liberty hall and build a lovely tower like this but they were not given permission because Liberty hall was a special building what a joke it’s a horrible outdated eye sore
@John Quinn: The glass in Liberty Hall was replaced after one of the bomb blasts in the early seventies. The effect was never the same and ruined the look of the building. It needs decent refurbishment.
That site as a location for a massive high rise such as this proposed in Cork would not be suitable taking into account the scale and history of buildings in the area. There are other places where an up-build would go well though – find somewhere to the north west where the land is flat perhaps and a group of tall buildings would look spectacular.
Ah that’s nice for them, plenty of jobs and good for the town.
Cork City on the way up bouy!
Great news! Now Ireland needs to start building up instead of this urban sprawl that has gone on for decades. Build up the cities.
@Shane De Paor: And towns and villages. No more one off housing. They decimate the countryside.
@Shane De Paor: The trouble is that practically all cities are port cities. Build up the ground first, maybe? (If we build sea walls, someone will moan about the view.) Or move inland to higher ground.
And what did the people of Cork say or did they have any say ? Is it like in Tallaght when they built tall buildings against two story houses and cast long shadows , now nobody sits in their gardens any more but the developers have moved on , to build more tall buildings and cast more dark shadows.
@Honeybee:
This in the Cork docklands
@Honeybee: typical moaner with no imagination
@Marc Power: or knowledge of the location
@Honeybee: It’s down at the docks of Cork. It’s the best place for it a dream site. A new tourist attraction have a balcony on top and charge for access
@Honeybee: No houses anywhere near. It’s all old warehouses, though it’s very close to the city centre. These warehouses are mostly single story and are being retained and redeveloped.
It’s Cork’s policy to build upwards.
@Honeybee: No houses anywhere near. It’s all old warehouses, though it’s very close to the city centre. These warehouses are mostly single story and are being retained and redeveloped.
It’s Cork’s policy to build upwards.
@Honeybee: I like the tall buildings there, let’s me know I’m leaving
Keep BAM away
Cork, can we swap your forward thinking planning officers for ours in Dublin..please
Let the competition begin!!
Its that high to see over the flood walls
@Aidan Conway: the best flood walls!
Siptu wanted to knock down the old Liberty hall and build a lovely tower like this but they were not given permission because Liberty hall was a special building what a joke it’s a horrible outdated eye sore
That’s big of them…
In a united Ireland, Belfast will be the 2nd city and poor cork will be relegated to third.
@SilexFlint: You have to get a united Ireland first, any idea SilexFlint when that will be happening?
@SilexFlint: there’s enough space between the three main cities to flourish.
One of the key things to note is that ABP “uphelp” the council decision to approve, not overturned.
This part of the reason why Dublin’s dominance is bad for development. Councillors don’t have to consider if the “Dublin is a museum” planning strategy is good for development, because often companies don’t see much alternative.
If you’re the only option (or seen as it), it doesn’t matter how antiquated the planning rules are.
@Gerard: waffle
@Bernard McWilliams: Correct. This fella is full of blah blah blah.
@Gerard: Planning permission is not granted by councillors but by the chief executive of the relevant local authority.
Maybe Dublin will follow suit
Hold on a sec, one of the conditions is the provision of 20 car parking space, 20 for a 34-storey building, lol.
@Declan Tiberius Kelly: That’s called progress
@Declan Tiberius Kelly: Maybe the thinking is that in a modern city with decent public transport, why would you need to run a car?
@Declan Tiberius Kelly: Surely a couple or few floors under the ground level of the building would be car spaces
At long last they have something to boast about Hopefully this will put an end to “the real capital the cultural capital” The chip should be well and truely off the leesiders shoulders now
@Michael Graham: keeping the parish rivalry thing going – good man
@Michael Graham: good man Michael. Another lobster in the pot Deirdre!!
Meanwhile the giant dusty museum called Dublin continues to build bland box like uninspiring rubbish
Good, forward thinking. The country needs to build up, and stop spreading out.
How are the fire brigade meant to deal with anything there? Have we long reach ladders, high pressure hoses etc?
@⚡ Seánie ⚡:
I’m sure they’ll manage like every other city in Europe with tall buildings.
@ChelseaFcBanter: Ah but they’re ready, have the equipment.
Old link I know, but I doubt much has changed.
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: I suppose if like every other high rise area the fire is usually taken care of by the safety measures built into the building. Nobody has equipment that goes higher than a few stories
@TommyC: I hope they have dry risers built in, in that case.
Bit of a pain in the neck if there’s a fire or power cut. Imagine the amount of stairs people would have to go down to get outside? About two flights per floor?
And the smokers would have to be certain they’ve booked a balcony.
Hope it gets built soon .. there’s no shortage of sites with planning but no construction . ..
Deadly…..jealous in Dublin
Expect the doors to open in 15 years.
@John B: And probably cost around 3 billion.
The same view from the 4th and the 34th floor. Now that’s unique.
Sort out the event center first
@Seosamh Púinse: what? Tell the developers to stop this as there is an event centre being built by other developers and you will have to wait your turn because we cant get anything done while that’s not done?
That’s hideous
@Sara Davis: Not half as hideous as some of the monstrositys in Dublin, that spire thingy and Liberty Hall spring to mind.
I’m all for high-rise buildings in the right location, but that building in the picture looks totally ridiculous! One giant building surrounded by tiny buildings.
34 stories? Dear god why? It’ll be a awful eyesore.
The immediate surrounding area would be/could be thriving with the amount of people coming and going from this yoke.
Good to see some ‘upward’ developments in our cities
America goes to the moon in 1969 and we build a skyscraper 35 stories high hafe the size of the ones over there and it’s considered to be a great achievement it is well about time they start building stuff like this o and well done to the hard working council men and women who ticked a box and said that it could go ahead
A hurricane would take it down.
@Noel O’Gara: Sure so long as the guests can swim, be grand.
The old Port of Cork buildings and its associated beautiful old cut stone customs warehouses are some of Cork cities most historic heritage buildings. Having them mounted by a giant glass USB stick is nothing to be proud of
@Dave Nolan: it’s rat infested and falling apart this is great news for cork ,
Marvellous, the customs House and its warehouses some of Corks most historic buildings are being mounted by what looks like a giant glass USB stick.
Marvellous, the Custom House and its bonded warehouse, some of Corks most historic buildings are to be mounted by a giant glass USB stick
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