The Irish Times

Academy Street

Cork City Council has requested further information on plans by O'Callaghan Properties for a major retail and residential development in the heart of the city, saying it "is not acceptable in its current form". The council's planners are "concerned with the building heights proposed for the overall scheme", which would step up to nine storeys, and say these heights "will have to be modified to mitigate its impact" on the surrounding area. They say the maximum building heights should be reduced by approximately 8m (26 ft) - equivalent to the omission of two floors - and that the "shoulder height" of buildings fronting streets should also be reduced. The proposed development covers two city blocks bounded by Patrick Street, Academy Street, Emmet Place and Bowling Green Street. It would provide 19 large retail units on four levels as well as 91 apartments and two gyms overhead. In their request for further information, the planners are seeking a revised visual impact statement, including a further series of photomontages showing how the scheme would look from various points.