BAM Ireland, the company which won a 2014 tender for state aid to build the Cork event centre, has announced that it expects to begin construction this autumn. The firm confirmed that it still intends to progress plans for a hotel and offices on the site of the former tax office in Cork City, which has remained idle since the former Revenue Commissioners building was demolished in 2018. BAM won the tender for an initial €14m of State aid to fund the construction of the Cork event centre. Since then, the Government has upped the State investment in the project to €57m, with BAM and Live Nation expected to contribute around €35m. Delays caused by redesigns, soaring costs, complex funding arrangements, planning appeals, and a threatened High Court challenge have beset the project since the original tender.
