kite

@nimbus 2008 wrote:

Much lobbying for taxbreaks here which they say are critical to the scheme going ahead.

Can’t see why our tax money should be given to these guys. If the project cannot make it in the market on its merits why should we be giving HH/Alleyquay handouts?

Sure why wouldn’t the taxpayer throw HH a few million towards their docklands development, after all the City Manager proposed to sell historic Albert Quay House (next door to City Hall) to HH for the price of a modest 1 bed apartment i.e. 250,000 euro.
Thankfully Councillors Tim Brosnan, Chris O’Leary, David McCarthy and Jonathan O’Brien were wide awake and put a stop to what would have been yet another fiscal disaster for Cork. HH had to be satisfied with “buying” the site to the rear of said house for a bargain basement price.

A little further up the quays and the gateway to the Docklands, we sold Navigation House to OCP at a 4,000,000 discount so that our city officials would have the benefit of car parking. (I bet the car parking element of this deal will materialize, unlike the convention centre in Mahon the city residents were promised when we sold that landbank at a discount in 1998)

Again with Joe Gavin, it is a case of “do as I say, not as I do”

:rolleyes:Anyway, I am delighted we can help the major developers of the city; those helicopters don’t run on fresh air you know!!

According to Eoin English in today’s IE, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey rubbished claims by the CAA that he promised financial support should Cork Airport struggle to service its 113 million debt.

The opposition party’s charge came from tea bag Barry’s daughter:o, plus of course the obligatory quote from one of the Buttimer boys:o. And we wonder why FF keep getting elected??

@Pug wrote:

thats amazing – the management of a local authority ignores the courts orders for years but the result is that the taxpayer loses £50k, the costs of the case and the cost of the engineer.

Yep, change Galway for Harare, City Manager for Dictator Mugabe and you would not believe this scutting could happen in Zimbabwe, BUT this is Ireland, anything can happen, and normally does.

Remind me again, who was the Galway city manager at the time?

Like the song goes….

“Look at doubt we’ve wallowed,
Look at the leaders we’ve followed,
Look at the lies we’ve swallowed,
And I don’t want to hear no more”

Do you think Guns N’ Roses had our pitiful shower of Councillors, TD’s, and Senators in mind when they penned the lyrics?

@jdivision wrote:

kite, I believe the case centres more on the sale of the building between the parties. It would be an additional access point rather than the main one.

Thanks jdivision, i hope you are correct, the phrase “which is crucial for access to Elysian” in the newspaper article above would suggest otherwise.

@lexington wrote:

😀 One of the most exciting developments put before Cork city in many years is to be greenlit come Thursday 7th July 2005. Though the notion has been somewhat of an open secret these past few weeks, a source with Cork City Council has declared that the proposal by O’Flynn Construction will be granted subject to approx. 20 conditions [?] after Senior Planner Ronnie McDowell signs his name this Thursday. Details of these conditions will be made clear here either tomorrow evening or Thursday evening latest.

The project was originally lodged for the 3 acre, former An Post Sorting Office site, last October 8th 2004. Further Information was requested on the development on November 1st 2004, following a questionable planning authority handling of the application. The first request was responded to on December 23rd 2005 and a due date was set for Feburary 23rd 2005 – however, trouble was encountered with the application in the hands of planner Evelyn Mitchell when it seemed as though CCC were only willing to grant permission for the project subject to a near 50% reduction of the 550 basement parking spaces proposed. Other issues that proved a sticking point included light reflection of the tower and the height surrounding block parapets. Additional Further Information was requested and Senior Planner Ronnie McDowell took over handling of the application.

Where the original Wilson Architecture designed project comprised of 217 apartments over blocks ranging in height from 6 to 8 storeys, w/ a 17-storey landmark tower (70m) in the southwest corner of the site (facing the South City Link Road), 550 basement parking spaces over 2 decks, 7 own-door office units and 5 large bulk-goods retail units – the revised application submitted in response to the Additional Further Information, received on the 13th of May 2005 – altered the plans so that block heights of the parameter buildings reduced to 6-storeys with a set-back level, rearranged building layouts (providing a new ‘pod’ building in Northern end of the site) and new glazing features for the landmark tower (which otherwise remained untouched). CCC concluded that for such residential developments as Eglinton Street, parking spaces as proposed would be generally acceptable given that apartment sizes were generally designed to accommodate long-term residencies (some 3-bedroom apartments extending to 1,900sq ft) and that reductions in space provision would clutter surrounding, heavily trafficked streets with unwelcome additions using the retail, office and residential facilities of the development. The revised application in fact, actually allowed for an increase in apartment unit numbers from 217 to 226.

Only 1 objection was lodged in response to revised plans – that of a nearby resident Cait Ui Connail, who cites that the development will affect her light and bring unwelcome traffic from persons utilising the retail facilities. The developers have noted in response that among the reasons for such a large basement parking provision was to address such traffic concerns and that the tower overshadowing had been well studied and assessed, concluding that it did not affect nearby residency light given its design, shape and location in the site.

Should this prove to be the final planning step for OFC with regards Eglinton Street. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2006.

Note: Apologises for the colouration in the bottom 3 images – but its consequent of light penetration during the image scans.

[Fingers crossed the conditions aren’t a repeat of that other highrise project that was conditioned to oblivion.]

:oI think the time may be apt to remind ourselves how we were all looking forward to what was to be the first true “high-rise” development in Cork in 30 years!! (Lex circa 2005)
Where and when did it all go wrong??

From today’s Irish Examiner:

Docklands project faces 12-month wait for tax incentives

By Paul O’Brien, Political Correspondent
THE Government has admitted it will be at least a year before any tax incentives are announced for the Cork Docklands project.

In what is understood were non-scripted remarks, Junior Minister Noel Ahern told the Dáil last week “many things need to be done locally first, the proposal can be improved and it may be considered next year”.

Fine Gael described his remarks as a “kick in the teeth” for the Cork region.

“Claims by the minister that the Cork Docklands needs to be ‘improved’ and is not ready for launch are an insult to everyone who has worked tirelessly on the project,” said FG Cork South-Central TD Deirdre Clune.

“Extensive proposals have been drawn up for the project, which is included in the National Spatial Strategy and the National Development Plan. The least we could expect is some support from the Government,” she added.

Under the e2 billion regeneration plan, homes, offices and leisure space will be built on the 166-hectare docklands site.

Prior to Christmas, the Government signalled that tax incentives to encourage development in the docklands would be announced in the Finance Bill 2008.

But when that bill was published recently, it overlooked the Cork project, with Finance Minister Brian Cowen saying more time was needed to determine what incentives could be provided under EU state-aid rules.

The remarks of Mr Ahern, who is junior minister at the Department of Finance, indicate the Cork region will have to wait until next year’s Finance Bill for any incentives to be announced.

Speaking at a Fianna Fáil function in Cork over the weekend, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern insisted his party would “continue to lead the development of Cork Docklands”, and dismissed opposition efforts “to score cheap political points”.

However, he failed to provide any timeline for the tax incentives, merely saying: “We will provide the support and incentives that the development of the docklands needs — when they are needed.”

@Pug wrote:

thats very very poor from the government – they have known about the Docklands for I dont know how long, its ridiculous to say they are going to start talks now and that just because its a big project means the govt have time to sort it out. If they had started the talks years ago then the project would be underway, absolutely disgraceful from Dublin as usual

Ties in completely with lack of funding coming from NRA for cork. Again.

I wouldn’t disagree with what you say but this is not all the fault of Government.
Eight years ago saw the start of the docklands adventure. Cork City Councillors jealously guarded their junket cow and told Dublin to keep their noses out of Corks business on many occasions.
Cork City Council turned a blind eye to the Listed Heritage building on Custom House Quay, an area that needed to be transformed to provide a gateway to the docklands; instead people visiting the area are met with the near derelict sight of the Bonded Warehouses falling into the Lee (what a selling point for investors and stakeholders?).
For ex Cllr’s. Burke and Clune to be crying crocodile tears now is a joke as is Cllr. Dara Murphys demand for Councillors to be added to the Docklands Forum so that everything in their fantasy world can be “happy happy” again.
Fair dues to the stakeholders, they took a chance, they put their money on the table, unfortunately they backed a lame duck City Council instead of a race horse!

Trying every media source available to no avail, somebody please tell me if the Government approved tax breaks for the docklands in today’s finance act?

@lawyer wrote:

I think these are the buildings on Albert Quay/Albert Street.
Suttons had a coal store there.There also was a fast fit exhaust business there up to a few years ago.

:)Thanks for clearing that issue.