A proposal for the final element of a £350 million commercial and retail complex - the largest project of its kind in Cork - has been given approval by Cork Corporation.
Last December, the corporation granted planning permission to O'Callaghan Properties, owned by the developer, Mr Owen O'Callaghan, for the construction of a national trade centre, a 150-bedroom hotel, a leisure centre and 50,000 sq ft of office development. The latest approval grants the company permission to develop a further 120,000 sq ft of retail facilities and 30,000 sq ft of convenience shopping facilities. The Mahon project, not far from the city centre, will create 3,500 full-time jobs as well as some 2,500 part-time jobs when complete. More than 2,000 jobs will be on offer during the five-year construction period. A park-and-ride facility, linking the development with the city centre, has been incorporated. It is expected that most of the jobs will come on-stream within two years of the start of construction, which is expected to begin in the next few months.
Yesterday Mr Joe Gavin, the Cork city manager, said research had shown the need for an additional 600,000 sq ft of shopping space in Cork.
Welcoming the decision, Mr O'Callaghan said the project would enhance the business structure in a part of the city which had been relatively underdeveloped and would bring benefits to the greater Cork area. O'Callaghan Properties also developed the £500 million commercial and retail complex at Quarryvale in Co Dublin. Mr O'Callaghan is expected to give evidence to the Flood tribunal concerning Quarryvale.