Spinal Tap

@malec wrote:

It went wrong when they decided to build it on the cheap. The cladding is crap that’s why.

See OFC’s No.5 Lapps Quay for rubbish cladding systems and bizarre colours.

Anything to save money and an opportunity lost.

@jungle wrote:

I think we all know what that means.

I can’t for the life of me work out what they’re waiting for. Maybe the bribes haven’t been paid yet.

You know whislt all this drags out into the next decade more than likely Cork City Council and The Port of Cork watch the fantastic Bonded Warehouses behind The Custom House crumble and decay.

Absolute disgrace.

Keep you powder dry,be patient !

01 February 2008

Cowen: Docklands tax incentives must not breach rules

By Stephen Rogers, Rose Martin and Ian Guider
THE Government last night said it would not be rushed into securing tax incentives for Cork’s Docklands project without first ensuring those incentives would not breach EU state aid regulations (Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen is pictured).

While announcing the Finance Bill yesterday, Minister Brian Cowen said the Government was looking at how it could get round the EU legislation to put the incentives in place for developers to take on the e2 billion Docklands project.

However, he said it would take time and consultation.

Fine Gael questioned the Government’s commitment to Cork saying it had promised to address the incentives in yesterday’s bill.

“Last December I challenged Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin about the lack of tax incentives for the Docklands in the budget,” said FG TD Deirdre Clune.

“Minister Martin claimed at the time that the Finance Bill would address this issue. Clearly Brian Cowen was not listening and the commitment of Martin… must be questioned.”

However, Mr Martin hit back saying the comments of Fine Gael were “over the top and premature”.

“Before we move at all we need to establish the types of supports we can give. I have met with the finance minister on this over the last few weeks and I accept his position. Tax relief or grants have to be within a state aid framework.”

Mr Martin said there was plenty of time as the Docklands project was a 10-year commitment and there was only one significant project on the cards in the next 12 months.

That project is a e1bn, 30-acre development close to Pairc Uí Chaoimh.

Jason Clerken, of Howard Holdings, the developer behind it, said the tax break package was not at the forefront of developers’ minds.

“It’s probably not going to happen in this round, but then it’s all a bit previous because the Local Area Plan has yet to be announced and the Docklands Forum is just starting up,” he said. “The renewal and regeneration of the Docklands will not rest on tax breaks.”

Cork city manager Joe Gavin said the council will continue to press for supports and to work with the relevant officials. “I take satisfaction from the fact those officials we have been working with have indicated a positive disposition so I would be hopeful we will be successful,” he said.

28 September 2007

€2bn Cork docklands plan lodged within weeks

By Niamh Hennessy and Eoin English
PLANS for the €2 billion development of Cork’s docklands are to be lodged within weeks, in one of the largest single applications in the history of the State.

The development will include two hotels, 600,000 square feet of office space and a 30-storey residential tower.

It will also include an “iconic building” likely to house a restaurant run by a world-renowned chef such as Richard Corrigan or Gordon Ramsay. Provisions have also been made for a metro system.

Howard Holdings chief executive Greg Coughlan said his firm has engaged London-based architecture firm Foster and Partners — which is involved in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site in New York — to work on the project. Work is to begin at the end of next year.

“What a coup for us to get them in the first place and what a great fillip for the project to attract such a company,” he told a Cork Chamber business breakfast yesterday.

He said the biggest objection to the development of the docklands was the relocation of the Port of Cork and the vacation of the two Seveso sites — the Topaz and Gouldings’ sites in Centre Park Road.

The Port of Cork is demanding a €60 million to €65m relocation package to leave the city centre quays but Mr Coughlan said it needed to vacate quickly for the docklands project to move forward.

He said all parties involved need to sit down together and work out a solution. He did not rule out Howard Holdings contributing to the relocation costs for the port.

“The Port of Cork must move down-river. Each of us: developers, government, the local authority and the Port of Cork itself must work together to facilitate this critical step and an immediate dialogue needs to commence to achieve it.”

Mr Coughlan said nothing of scale would happen in the docklands until the two Seveso sites were vacated.

Meanwhile, the council has made a submission to government seeking the designation of the docklands for targeted tax incentives in the December budget.

The incentives sought include tax breaks for relocating the Seveso sites, incentives for dealing with contaminated land, incentives for attracting foreign investment, the provision of public infrastructure by the private sector, grant aid for owner occupiers, and tax breaks to provide premises for biopharma, IT, financial services and third and fourth level R&D interests.

“It is important that provision is made in the forthcoming budget and finance act for whatever supports the Government decides to provide, as uncertainty could cause some developments to be delayed,” said city manager Joe Gavin.

@Radioactiveman wrote:

Ulster Bank, Patrick Street have a pplied for a rear extension which, if the submitted plans are anything to go by, will develop on part of a site formerly occupied by the Hugenot Cemetary on Carey’s Lane. Can anybody confirm this? or clarify matters?

Thay have a surface car park / yard enclosed by a high wall.I would imagine that this is where they are proposing to build.

Its completly out of scale fro Patrick St and the Grand Parade – Washington St.Junction.

rnotts may be tempted ?

@who_me wrote:

In the US, they’d relish the idea of competition, and would thoroughly look at all proposals.

In the US, they’d be far, far more wary of investing public money in a private project.

In the US, there would be blue murder if the media were ejected from the discussion of public funding.

I honestly think it’s the best site for the centre, and the size, while not the largest, isn’t too small. But why oh why do we have to have this idiotic veil of secrecy. These public-private ventures sound risky enough as is, but without any openness and transparency how on Earth are we to trust those holding the public purse strings?

And like in the U.S. if the other consortia think that their proposals are all that sustainable they would go and build it on their own.You have massive arenas – stadia sitting all over cities there competing for events – does the public care – No – they benifit from having a choice yes a choice of events centres.

Some colleges there have better facilities than entire cities here.

Screw the media – Do they really care ? Any thing proposed for planning in Cork City 0ve 2/3 stories appears in the Echo “MANHATTAN FOR BLACKPOOL” etc.

It will all come out in the wash anyway – Cork needs this facility 10 years ago and anything that the City Council can do to make it happen must be welcomed.

The public money will be paid back tenfold in rates,taxes,contributions.

Does anybody on earth trust those who hold the public purse strings ?

[quote=”theblimp

You can agree with me, or disagree with me … that’s fine, but I can assure you that there’s a lot more to come into the mix over the coming weeks and months which will shine some clearer light on how these things have been skewed.[/QUOTE”]

Sounds like a whole load of sour grapes to me ?

@theblimp wrote:

Not quite as wonderful as all that, I believe. I was connected to one of the other submissions and we raised BIG concerns about the manner in which the process was managed – e.g.: sent initial letter to City Management (CM) on 1st June looking for clarification on criteria under which submissions should be lodged. Many follow-up phonecalls and THREE weeks later we received a reply. This reply came on a Thursday and the submission had to be in for the following Monday (4 days, including a weekend). A request for an extension was denied. We submitted, expected to be called in for further discussion (‘fleshing out’) but nothing more until the media leak last week! There were only four submissions – it wouldn’t have taken a lot to bring each in for a few hours to discuss each submission thoroughly.

Hand on heart I believe that the HH proposal is too small – 4,000 seats. Our own proposal was for up to 8,000 seats PLUS a second 2,000+ seated ‘green-glens’ type arena PLUS a massive indoor waterpark. Anyway you makes yer choices…..!

Think of it this way – major show hits Ireland a few years from now. They play 10,000 seats in Belfast, then 10,000 seats in the redeveloped Point – does it make sense for them to then move everything to Cork for 4,000 seats, or would it be better to play an additional night in Belfast/Dublin before heading across to Manchester MEN Arena for the start of the next leg?

How many big shows even in London sell 10,000+ seats ?

Killarney has 4,250 seats with hotel facilities etc and manages to attract plenty of world class acts and plenty of punters from Cork and all over Munster.

6,000+ for a “Marquee” type event is plenty for a City the size of Cork.

The HH proposal is actually very realistic and feasable.

Personally Cork needs this badly as I along with others are fed-up with heading to Killarney 7 Dublin for good acts etc.