A major redevelopment in Cork city has been announced with the landmark bonded warehouses to be restored.
The planned construction at Custom House Quay will feature a towering 34-story hotel - twice the height of the nearby Elysium tower.
Tower Holdings Group has released plans for the Port of Cork site which will link the peninsula to the centre of the city and dramatically change our skyline.
The new, five-star, 34 story hotel tower will be the tallest building in Ireland, with views across the city from a sky bar located at the top of the tower, Cork Beo reports.
The warehouses on the site will be turned into posh shops, restaurants and microbrewery. The planned development will cost in the region of €150million and construction will create around 400 jobs. Once the building phase is over, there could be up to 800 people working there across retail, office and hospitality.
The aim is for the historic site to become a new hub for business, culture and food as well as office space and recreational areas that will be fully accessible to the public.
Tower Holdings Director of Operations Ireland, Conor Lee said: “For the first time ever, this entire area will be fully opened up to the people of Cork. The design is aimed at preserving the existing infrastructure for future generations through the addition of new tourism and commercial offerings”.
The Custom House Quay project is expected to create nearly 400 construction jobs as well as over 800 positions in hospitality, retail and tourism upon completion.
The announcement of the development comes in what has already been a busy week for the docks with the announcement on Tuesday that the Odlums and R&H Hall sites have been sold to a local developer in a €47.5m deal.
Tower Holdings will be holding a public information meeting at Custom House on Saturday July 13th from 11am to 2pm.
At this meeting the public will be able to meet members of the design team and ask questions about the plans for the site.
Planning permission for the development will be lodged later this month. There will be questions as to whether a 34-story hotel will be in keeping with the historic heart of Cork City.
The plans unveiled today are ambitious - but there is a long road ahead for the developers. The Council has yet to publish its Local Area Plan for the Docklands and that could have a major bearing on what happens to the Custom House site.
