The Workers’ Party in Cork have condemned the latest government funding pledge to the proposed Cork Events Centre, saying the project had become a bottomless pit for public funds in the midst of a housing crisis.

Local Workers’ Party councillor, Ted Tynan, said that the with state and local authority funding pledges now nearing €40 million the project should either be cancelled or taken fully into public hands.

Cllr. Tynan said there was little prospect of the state or Cork City Council making a return on a huge investment on the project at a time when public funds are scare and badly needed elsewhere.

He said: “The Events Centre project has been a fiasco since the very start. Despite heavy lobbying for the project, the developers have had a waning interest in it only responding to ever greater pledges of funding from the state and city council. In addition we have seen the original plans altered several times. Yet the state and local authority appear to have thrown caution to the wind in a desperate bid to get their pet project back on track. That elections are looming is no coincidence”.

The Workers’ Party councillor said it would be better at this stage if the state pulled out of the project and if the developer is not interested in continuing without massive state assistance the site should be compulsorily acquired for more suitable projects recognising the important historical and cultural aspects of the former Beamish & Crawford site”

Cllr. Tynan said: “The greatest need in Cork  right now, as in the rest of Ireland, is for the construction of public housing. Rather than throwing endless monies into a project with a dubious future, the state should  put this scarce money where it is most needed.”