Published by EchoLive.ie – 4 April 2020 – Sarah O’Dwyer
A major development in the heart of Cork city has been given the green light by Cork City Council’s planning department.
Quakeside Ltd has been granted conditional permission for the construction of a four to six-storey development which would incorporate both office and hotel use at the former Moore’s hotel site on Morrison’s Quay, as well as the conservation of a number of protected structures to accommodate office buildings.
The development incorporates numbers 9-14 Morrison’s Quay, 5-5A Fitton Street, 1 Keeffe Street, and adjoining lands backing onto Catherine and Keeffe Street.
The historic Moore’s hotel ceased trading 15 years ago and was an eyesore on the Quay, with City Hall urged as recently as two years ago to secure the site. It was placed on the derelicts sites register in 2018.
It was subsequently sold in early 2019 at auction for a price believed to be in excess of €7 million.
This new development on Morrison’s Quay will see the existing buildings at numbers 11, 12 and 13 conserved, modified and protected, as they are deemed protected structures with varied 19th-century facades. These will accommodate three new own door office buildings.
183 hotel bedrooms, seating areas, a restaurant, public bar, kitchen, hotel offices and a courtyard at ground level are also incorporated in the design of these new buildings.
In October last year it was announced the Premier Inn would occupy the hotel section of the development.
The ground, first and second floors of the new building fronting onto Catherine Street will be an office development, with hotel rooms above.
There will be pedestrian access to the offices from Morrison’s Quay and Catherine Street and to the hotel from Morrisons Quay and Keeffe Street.
There are 25 conditions attached to the granting of permission for the development, including significant contribution amounts to the local authority totalling more than €470,000.
Meanwhile, the developers have also been requested to ensure their flood barriers are in order as it’s been acknowledged that it may not be feasible to raise the floor levels of the proposed development to OPW guidelines.
An Emergency Management Plan for flood events must also be submitted to Cork City Council, while good conservation practice must be implemented on the protected structures to ensure the protection of the architectural heritage of the buildings.