Jobs boost as €200m Cork offices plan get go-ahead

Cork is set for a major jobs boost as the City Council has granted planning permission for a €200m office development in Mahon.

The move has the potential to create 1,500 new jobs and a major anchor tenant is expected to snap up the prime location.

As a condition of granting the permission, a new road lane will be built to help ease traffic congestion after the City Council rezoned residential land for the development.

The new lane will run from the CSO offices on the Skehard Road down the Mahon Link Road towards the City Gate development.

City Councillors insisted the new lane would be built before they voted to rezone the lands.

Developer John Cleary wants to build a major new office development in three blocks located on a vacant site between the Project Management (PM) building and the internal MahonPoint Shopping Centre road.

However, the land was zoned for residential purposes and a material contravention of the City Development Plan was needed before it could be rezoned for office use.

City Councillors voted unanimously yesterday to approve the plans.

Mr Cleary has brought major national and international companies to the Mahon area including VHI Swiftcare, computer games company Big Fish and internet security firm McAfee. When the Sheehan Medical Group opens its 102-bed private hospital at City Gate this summer, more than 1,000 people will be employed at the location.

John Cleary said he welcomed the decision.

"The new development will provide world-class office space and is being actively marketed to multi national technology based companies.

"Our success at attracting multi nationals in these key growth areas means we can look forward to even more jobs in the City Gate area," he said.

Speaking in City Hall yesterday, Fianna Fáil's Cllr Terry Shannon said he was very impressed with the City Gate development and welcomed the creation of new jobs.

"However, one issue of concern for residents is traffic. It is important that part of the €3m plus in development contributions are ring-fenced for roadworks to alleviate traffic in the area," he said.

Fianna Fáil's Cllr Kenneth O'Flynn said the only way forward for the city and the country was by way of a smart economy and said that Cork had lost out in the past to other areas because we did not have large office space.

City manager Joe Gavin said that councillors concerns about traffic volumes and plans for an extra lane would be taken on board.

Article courtesy of The Evening Echo newspaper.