From Coca Cola to Bottleworks: Cork City's largest student accommodation scheme on track for completion for next academic year
Bottleworks student accommodation, Carrigrohane Road, Cork City
ONE of the biggest student accommodation developments in the country, Bottleworks, just west of Cork City, is on track for its first student intake in the 2023/2024 academic year.
The 10-storey 623-bedroom flagship development on Carrigrohane Road, at the site of the old Coca Cola bottling plant, was capped off with an early morning concrete pour earlier this week.
The purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) will be the biggest student accommodation scheme in the city when completed, stealing a march on €53m 554-bed Ashlin House on Bandon Road, which opened in the autumn, in time for the 2022/2023 student intake. The capital value of Bottleworks has not been disclosed.
The Carrigrohane road scheme is considerably bigger than the new €35m 280-bed development Bróga House on Washington Street, incorporating the former Square Deal furniture store (previously the Lee Boot Manufacturing Company) and it’s significantly bigger too than the nearby UCC/Sisk Crow’s Nest distinctive 255-bed development at Victoria Cross.
The Bottleworks project is being led by Northern Ireland firm Farrans Construction, on behalf of US client CA Ventures, a real estate investment management firm who sold off three PBSA assets, with a total of c900 beds, in the UK early this year for a combined transaction value of approximately Stg£161m.
Carlo Matta, President and Head of Europe for CA Ventures said that as one of the largest PBSA schemes in Ireland and the largest PBSA scheme under the Novel Student brand (CA Ventures in-house operating platform) “Bottleworks answers to the mounting demand for student accommodation in Cork and Ireland’s broader student accommodation crisis”.
The Cork development will have a gross floor area of approximately 19,267 sq m. In addition to 623 bedrooms, it will house an onsite gym, common networking spaces, cycle storage, studio space and a sky lounge with views of the River Lee.
Once complete, it’s expected to serve students at the University College Cork, Cork University Hospital and Munster Technological University.
Felim Blaney, Contract Manager for Farrans Construction, said the topping out ceremony was “an exciting milestone” for the 111 week project, with “excellent progress” continuing to be made. Farrans are also on site for two further schemes in Belfast for CA Ventures at Botanic Link and Library Street.
An invite to register interest for booking accommodation in the Bottleworks scheme for 2023/2024 is currently being advertised on novelstudent.com but the cost of staying there is not displayed. A Novel Student-run development in Belfast is advertising prices of around £160pw for own bedroom, shared living space apartments.
Other PBSAs in the pipeline in Cork City include a North Main Street project by Bmor Developments who are due to deliver 280 beds for the 2023/2024 academic year, while Bellmount Developments have planning permission for a c€30m 243-bed student accommodation complex at the former Kelleher's Auto Centre in Victoria Cross.
Cork has a fulltime student population of c26,000.
