In Brief: Cork City Council has approved the demolition of the 174-room Premier Inn hotel, enabling the site’s redevelopment and signaling potential changes in local hotel supply and investment activity.
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Rendering of the Premier Inn in Cork – Image Credit Whitbread
Whitbread PLC has received approvals to begin demolishing the former Leisureplex site in Cork for a 174-room Premier Inn hotel.
Whitbread acquired the site at the corner of MacCurtain Street and Brian Boru Street in February 2024. The location previously operated as a Leisureplex entertainment site and is vacant.
Cork City Council granted planning permission for the 174-bedroom hotel in October 2025. Whitbread subsequently progressed the project through detailed design, planning compliance requirements and permits required before construction.
O’Kelly Brothers Civil Engineering Ltd. has been appointed to carry out demolition work. The County Limerick-based contractor is expected to install site hoarding and temporary support structures during October. Demolition of the existing building walls and concrete slab is expected to begin in November.
Ground remediation work is expected to start before Christmas and continue into the early New Year. The site is then expected to be handed to a principal contractor at the end of January.
Whitbread is in discussions with a shortlist of contractors to build the hotel. A contractor appointment is expected to be confirmed before Christmas.
The completed development is planned to include 174 Premier Inn bedrooms, including Premier Plus rooms. A restaurant and bar are planned to front onto Brian Boru Street. The design is also planned to conserve elements of the former art deco cinema façade.
Whitbread operates six hotels across Dublin and Cork. Two city-center hotels in Dublin are scheduled to open in early 2027.
Across Ireland, Whitbread is seeking to create a 5,000-bedroom Premier Inn network. Half of its bedroom target is trading, on-site or in its secured development pipeline.