Even post Covid the new offices in the city have been snapped up like hot cakes.
I think the developer has gone completely to the ground, Tower Holdings.
Any update on the Debenhams building sale? I heard speculation on one of the morning radio talk shows that it has gone sale agreed.
WFH has had an odd influence on office space. Most people aren't "Fully WFH" yet, they're hybrid, so companies still need an office for the 1/2 days a week they're in. Some try to manage capacity but it's not common currently. Prior to covid, we never had 100% occupancy anyway, there were always people out sick, on leave, visiting clients/sites etc. The main impact I see currently is that an office that used to have 300 desks and 75% occupancy, now more likely has 300 desks and 40% occupancy.
I'm not sure we'll see the drastic shrinking of office space that I thought we would 2 years ago
Agreed, but it is causing organisations to review their accommodation requirements.
While it may not result in a drastic shrinkage of office space requirement in the short to medium term, I can see it impacting on expansion plans, including new builds like the Prism.
I heard that IBM are leaving their office at the airport to move in with RedHat who are a subsidiary of theirs.
Will take time for companies to sort out their office requirements in the hybrid world. Deskbooking systems to be sorted, then will depend how long left on a lease or how much will cost to break the terms of a lease. Will take a few yrs to sort
There is a flipside that I can see here as well, and that's that offices might actually turn into a way to lure workers in, especially given the ongoing housing crisis. I can see it with my own employer in Penrose Dock, who's gone out of his way to provide a really attractive workspace for employees. It's probably the most comfortable office I've ever worked in by a country mile.
Personally, I'm very lucky to be able to (barely) afford the flat that I live in, a flat that is both bright and large enough for me to have a dedicated office here at home. A lot of people, especially younger ones looking for entry level jobs, don't have that luxury. They're stuck in dingy studios or bedsits, or are sharing a house or flat, and probably work from their bedrooms. I can very much see the prospect of a comfortable office space be pretty enticing for these types of workers.
Wow didn't realise they were that serious. Best of luck to them
With all the hoo hah about WFH there are people who would prefer to work in an office, the younger set especially but not exclusively. Very hard to get noticed for promotion in WFH not to mention the loss of camraderie. Working on your tod in your bedroom can't be great for most people's mental health.
It's horses for courses. I do hybrid, and the days I am not in it saves me 2 hours a day, and I can drop and collect my daughter from creche earlier. Not to mention saving on commuting. I drive an EV so its not too bad, but still a factor. My employer made noises about removing WFH and has to quickly back track as so many threatened to leave. It is not going anywhere unless the economy truly tanks.
It's rather annoying how the start of Pope's Quay has essentially been a builder's yard for about 3 years now. Footpath blocked forcing pedestrians onto the cycle path.
Devonshire Street is also being used as a builder's for what feels like a long, long time!
Lol, about an hour after that post, I saw that the "yard" on Devonshire Street has been removed. It now appears to be a free parking lane.
The city manager must have seen your original post!
Well, a month or two ago, someone on twitter posted a pic of the cycle path on Pope's Quay being obstructed by the barriers - that afternoon they tidied up the area and moved the barriers off the cycle lane.
Footpath still blocked, though.
Id say the ongoing court case fraud related in the states has put it on hold.
They are building away in the US.
As contractors, not as developers I believe. The whole thing is a bit absurd, also bizarre that the examiner and the echo who must have ran over 100 stories between them on Tower Holdings proposals in Cork haven’t put a single word to paper on the stoppage at the prism. This is the biggest construction project to start and then be abandoned I can think of in Cork and total radio silence from the local media.
To be honest, media in Cork are generally useless. be it the Echo, the Examiner, any of the radio stations, no one is willing to ask the tough questions. Probably because they know they can kiss any chances of another job in Cork good-bye if they "rock the boat", so they stick to the "ah share, aren't we grand?" lines.
It's a pity it has been stopped but apart from it's iconic appearance, it's a relatively average office block in terms of what has been lost- One Albert Quay is two and a half times bigger, Navigation Square is five times larger.
Depending on your definition of Cork, but the stoppage of both Amgen in the 2000s and Merrell Dow in the late 1980s would have bigger blows, both in terms of the amount of money spent ( and lost) and the impact on the local economy.
Anyone with ocd, look away now.
https://www.corkbeo.ie/news/property/first-peek-cork-citys-new-26391050
Was horrendous in the plans and worse in real life
I know you're just joking, so don't think I'm "offended" or anything at all. But as someone who knows someone with OCD, it's not good to be using it as a joke - especially when OCD is incredibly misunderstood
As for the building, the original plans were a lot nicer. Hopefully this pale green won't look disgusting in a few months. As for the actual hotel, though, I cannot wait! This area is just a big car park right now. It's going to be amazing to see people walking around the city centre streets that most probably won't even know exist. Hopefully it will spur on more developments on Keefe Street and Fitton Street East
I went looking for that earlier this year, it was due to be decided in Aug 2022, but it is impossible to figure out where it is at, from the ABP website. Typical!
Its not been approved or denied yet, it was in the SHD system so went straight to ABP. ABP are having massive issues at the moment between staffing and controversies. Could well be another 6 months before a decision. Its not going to slow anything down because there is zero chance the Comers build anything without significantly more govt support than is currently available.
Yeah the Carrigaline Kilmoney SHD has a "due to be decided by" date of September 2022. No sign of a decision or how close they are. The ABP website is incredibly useless.
Can we please now have use/lose planning and vacant/planned site tax?
That would push the value of the plots down.
We have both but they don’t work very well!
Enforced and actually punative
The burden of proof is very high before governments reposes land from landowners (rightly IMO). It's easier said than done
I'm not saying repossess. Apply a reasonable time for building to commence after planning granted.
And have a graded tax on site value for each year, post planning, where development not started.
Any land in a high pressure zone apply taxes to vacant/abandoned buildings or plots on a rising scale.
Commentary about unknown ownership? Tax builds up and when owner is determined they can sell and pay the tax or develop and pay
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