Diocesan Communications Officer Fr Tom Hayes has said the Diocese of Cork and Ross is likely to appeal the decision by Cork City Council to reject the planning application for a proposed pastoral centre at The Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, Dennehy’s Cross in Cork city.
The proposed pastoral centre is three storeys, will contain meeting rooms and community facilities, and will act as “a resource building to provide training to a lot of people, lay people especially,” said a spokesperson for the diocese.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic about next steps for the development project, Diocesan Communications Officer Fr Tom Hayes said “the trustees and the bishop have an advisory group working on it, which is made up of a group of experts and consultants.”
“They advise the bishop on everything to do with buildings in the diocese. They’re working on it with the bishop at the moment, and they’re probably very likely to appeal the decision,” Fr Hayes continued.
As well as receiving a rejection from Cork City Council, the proposed centre has also received backlash from the Dennehy’s Cross Action Group, who submitted a formal objection signed by 54 residents which read that the structure proposed is “gross and totally out of character for the area.”
“This planning application is not a community initiative, but rather it’s the hierarchy of the church diocesan authorities imposing what is essentially a commercial office-type premises on us.”