23 November 2025
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
POLITICS: “€2m wasted on planning, €17m site in limbo” – says Cork Senator who is critical of University College Cork
“Trinity Quarter, South Terrace”. Artist Impression Pedersen Focus 2019
Labour’s Further and Higher Education Spokesperson Cork based Senator Laura Harmon said University College Cork must now explain to the Higher Education Authority and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee how €2 million of public funds was spent on architectural and planning costs for a flagship business school that is now not proceeding. Speaking after revelations emerged that UCC has shelved its Cork University Business School plans despite years of preparation and the purchase of a €17 million city centre site, Senator Harmon said serious questions must be asked about governance, value for money and the impact on students and staff. She called for full transparency and a clear plan for the future use of the site in the public interest.
Senator Harmon said
“UCC has quietly stepped back from this flagship project, despite the university spending €2 million over three years on architecture and planning. This is a staggering sum that could have gone directly into student supports, mental health services or accommodation provision. Instead, it has disappeared into a project that the university has now abandoned. Students, staff and the wider community deserve to know how this happened and why the plug has been pulled. Higher education institutions have a responsibility to steward public resources with care and this situation shows that proper oversight has not been exercised.
“It is simply not acceptable for the university to walk away without explanation. UCC will have to answer questions to the Higher Education Authority and the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee. Accountability is essential. We are talking about €17 million spent on a city centre site and €2 million more on plans that will now never be delivered. While students struggle to afford rent and staff face ongoing pressures in learning environments, the university has poured millions into a development it has now abandoned. That should trouble everyone who cares about higher education in Ireland.
“Staff and student morale must be a priority for the university. Years of uncertainty around this project have created frustration and concern. There must now be clarity about what comes next. People in Cork have watched this site sit idle. Communities close to the campus are asking whether the university intends to sell the land or whether it can be used for educational purposes or student accommodation. Given the acute student housing shortage and the urgent need for safe, affordable student beds, there is a compelling case to repurpose the site for that purpose.
“The university must now set out a plan. It is in the interests of the local community that this €17 million site is not left to decay and that it serves a real educational or social purpose. UCC must engage constructively with the Higher Education Authority, account for the funds spent and appear before the Public Accounts Committee. The university needs to commit to full transparency and a genuine consultation process with students, staff and local stakeholders to ensure this site benefits Cork and not just balance sheets.”