Planning Objection Delays Cork’s Planned Office Tower

07 November 2018 | Cork, Ireland

The €20 million ($22.9 million) tower proposed just yards from Cork’s Parnell Place bus station is facing delays after an appeal was lodged with the local planning board (An Bord Pleanála).

The latest appeal by heritage body An Taisce has led to sharp criticism from the construction sector, with claims that Cork’s economic growth is being thwarted by “serial objections”.

The appeal will take at least 18 weeks for the planning board to decide.

Conor O’Connell, regional director for the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) Southern Region, objected to the delays imposed on developments planned for Cork.

He said the impact is being felt at all levels.

“The growth in the number of objections is very disappointing. Cork is aiming for a 50 percent growth in development in the coming years. Cork city is changing, it is happening. The city is going to experience significant growth and that is in terms of offices, retail and residential developments.”

The 15-story Prism office block, planned for a brownfield site in the heart of the city, is modeled after the Flatiron Building in New York City.

The glass-fronted triangular proposal, designed by Reddy Architecture + Urbanism, includes some 6,000 square meters of office space.

In early October 2018, planners at City Hall gave the go-ahead to the project. It followed several other major permissions, including Penrose Dock and Horgan’s Quay.

The developers had signaled their intention to start construction as soon as possible, once planning was approved.

However, the planning board confirmed that an appeal from the heritage group landed just hours before the deadline was due to close, prompting a delay in the process.

The heritage body had previously raised concerns about the height of the planned building.

“While supportive of continued regeneration of the city center, we strongly object to a 15-story building on Clontarf Street,” An Taisce said in their objection to the initial planning application.

The appeal is the latest in a series of appeals lodged by An Taisce in relation to major developments in Cork.

For more on this story, go to Evening Echo.