Demolition to begin on site of former 'Coliseum' to make way for new hotel

Demolition work is to begin at the former Leisureplex site in Cork City’s Victorian Quarter in preparation for the construction of the city’s second Premier Inn hotel.

The brand’s owners, the UK-based Whitbread group, have confirmed that demolition experts — Limerick-based O’Kelly Bros Civil Engineering Ltd — are due on site this month.

O’Kelly Bros will install site hoarding and temporary support structures before demolishing the building walls and concrete slab in November.

A section of the historic former postal sorting-office façade on Brian Boru St — which is a protected structure — is due to be restored and retained and will be incorporated in to the 174-bedroom hotel development, which will also include a guest-focused restaurant and bar fronting on to Brian Boru St.

The design will conserve elements of the former art-deco cinema façade, recognising the heritage of the location.

The site opened as the Coliseum cinema in 1913, which operated until 1964. A postal sorting office — known as Bridge House — was built on the site in 1940 and both the former cinema and sorting-office buildings were incorporated into the Leisureplex entertainment complex in the 1980s.

The section of the new hotel on MacCurtain St will be clad in red brick to tie in with other Victorian buildings in the vicinity, while the use of white/cream stone cladding and brick work will reference the materials used for Trinity Presbyterian Church, a landmark building at the bottom of Summerhill North.

In preparation for construction of the new hotel, ground remediation works are expected to begin before Christmas and continue into the early new year, before the site is handed over to a principal contractor at the end of January.

Whitbread is in advanced discussions with a shortlist of contractors to build the hotel, with an appointment expected to be confirmed before Christmas.

The interior of the former leisure and entertainment complex has already been cleared out. The complex closed in December and had been a popular spot for 10-pin bowling, pool and snooker, quasar, and a games arcade.

A planning application for a similar-style venue on Half Moon St in the city centre was recently lodged by John Cleary Developments (JCD) Group, with a decision due next month.

At the 0.5-acre Leisureplex site — acquired by Whitbread in 2024 for €5.5m — all of the approvals needed to begin demolition have been secured.

The build project will cause some traffic disruption at what is a busy inner-city junction, with one vehicular lane on Brian Boru St, as well as a cycle lane, earmarked for closure for the duration of the works.