The so-called ‘student accommodation’ would be built on former tax-office site
13 stories high and bright white – BAM’s latest proposal for high rise hostel-accomodation on Sullivan’s Quay(Image: BAM)
Dutch-owned developers BAM – the same people behind Cork’s sorry Events Centre saga – have come back with new plans for the former Tax Office site on Sullivan’s Quay.
And to the surprise of many in the area and a few councillors, they want to go even bigger and bolder with a 13-story tower, two stories higher than they asked for in the original planning permission earlier in the year. There had been an expectation that BAM would reduce the size and scale of the project, given concerns about yet another high-rise short-let/hostel-style development in the area, with at least 5 already in the south inner city. These developments may host students during the college year but are also rented out as Airbnb-style hostel accommodation year-round.
When those plans were submitted, a CorkBeo opinion piece echoed concerns from some living in the South Parish that these 503 short-let apartments, which will almost certainly be sold to international investors, were not what the area needed amid a decade-long housing crisis.
In Cork – housing charities say we have effectively been building new housing units for major international investment funds. In 2024, just 2% of new housing units built in Cork city and county were sold on the open market.
We talked to the housing charity Threshold, which released figures earlier this year showing that Airbnb short-term lets outnumber actual rental homes for Cork people by just under 4-1. Now BAM are asking Cork City Council to give them permission to build hundreds more, in a 13-story hostel, towering over the Grand Parade in the city centre.
The Sullivan’s Quay site has been derelict since the former tax office was knocked in mid-2018. A giant mound of rubble was left on the site, causing major problems for local residents with dirt and dust, until it was finally removed more than two years later.
Local Councillor Dan Boyle has said the new application from BAM, which seeks to raise the tower by another two stories and paint it bright white rather than the original grey, is not what the area needs.
He told CorkBeo today: “I’m not very pleased with the additional information seeking an additional two stories which represents an unacceptable disruption to the streetscape. High storey buildings have a role to play in the city but in the docklands, not the city centre.
Aside from which, I continue to be unimpressed with the developers of this site and their history with it. I would prefer if it were made available as a public open space.”
Cork people have until close of business on Monday to make their views known on the tower to Cork City Council via their planning portal website.