Atlantic Quarter

The Atlantic Quarter is a proposed mixed-use residential and commercial development of 12 buildings on a 5-hectare site in the docklands area of Cork city, in Ireland. The proposal includes three tower-blocks and a new swing bridge over the River Lee.

The €1-billion development was launched on 6 March 2008, with the planning application lodged the following day, [cite web
url=http://www.corkcity.ie/docklands/events/atlantic_quarter_application.shtml
title=Atlantic Quarter Planning Application
date=7 March 2008
work=Cork City Council website
accessdate=2008-03-28] and is the largest development ever planned for Cork.cite news
url=http://www.independent.ie/national-news/ifsc-to-get-euro1bn-rival-in-cork-1308901.html
title=IFSC to get €1bn rival in Cork
author=Ralph Riegel
date=7 March 2008
work=The Irish Independent
accessdate=2008-03-28] It was the first major planning application since the adoption by Cork City Council of the South Docks Local Area Plan on 11 February 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.corkcity.ie/docklands/planning/adopted_southdocks.shtml |title=South Docks Local Area Plan |work=Cork City Council website |accessdate=2008-03-28] The Council's decision on the application is due on 1 May 2008.cite web
url=http://planning.corkcity.ie/InternetEnquiry/rpt_ViewApplicDetails.asp?validFileNum=1&app_num_file=0832919
title=Atlantic Quarter Planning Application Ref: T.P. 08/32919
date=7 March 2008
work=Cork City Council website
accessdate=2008-03-28] If planning permission is granted, the developers predict that it will be complete by 2013.cite news
url=http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0307/1204815361813.html
title=Plans unveiled for €1bn project to regenerate Cork docklands
author=Barry Roche
date=7 March 2008
work=The Irish Times
accessdate=2008-03-28]

Atlantic Quarter has been described as capable of rivalling Dublin's docklands area and acting as a counterweight to the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin and the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. Ireland's Enterprise Minister, Micheál Martin, welcomed the project as one of the most important developments ever undertaken in Ireland.

Location

The site is located to east of Cork City Centre, on the south bank of the River Lee, at the former Ford Motor Company Distribution site in the ‘Marina Precinct’ of the South Docks. It is bounded by Centre Park Road to the north, a link road to the west, Monahan's Road to the south, and adjoins the Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium.

Developer

The developer is Howard Holdings, a Cork-based property company whose earlier City Quarter project is regarded as the first regeneration project to take place in Cork’s docklands.cite news
url=http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2008/03/09/story30994.asp
title=Howard Holdings in talks with Hilton group over Cork hotel
author=Neil Callanan
date=9 March 2008
work=Sunday Business Post
accessdate=2008-03-28] The principal architect is London-based Foster and Partners, with other design work by Patel Taylor, Scott Tallon Walker, Wilkinson Eyre, Urban Strategies, HKR Architects, Mitchell and Associates, Arup, White Young Green, DLPKS and Cunnane Stratton Reynolds.

Buildings

The 1bn euro mixed-use project includes:

* Three tower-blocks of 30, 20 and 10 storeys in height.
* 51,000 m2 (550,000 sq ft) of office space.
*A 11,000 m2 (120,000 sq ft) event and conference centre capable of hosting over 5,300 people.
*A 205-room four-star hotel.
*575 residential units catering for 1,600 residents.
* Bars, restaurants, shops and cafes designed to exploit the revamped dockland areas.

The €80m swing bridge, which will open to allow boats use the river, will be the biggest in Europe. Provisoinally named the Eastern Gateway bridge,cite news
url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/text/story.asp?j=kfididgbgbkfauau&p=y886643x&n=18866440
title=City vision to swing into docklands
author=Tommy Barker
date=7 March 2008
work=The Irish Examiner
accessdate=2008-03-28] Greg Coughlan of Howard Holdings said the bridge was essential for the project to proceed. The developer would design the structure, but wants the Irish government to fund the bridge's €80 million construction cost.

References