A record-breaking €850m development plan has been approved by Cork City Council.

Plans lodged to regenerate the city's docklands area represented the largest ever application to be considered by the authority.

Twenty-four restrictions were laid down by the council when granting permission for the Howard Holdings' scheme.

Regeneration proposals included a 5,500-seater events centre, a 27-storey apartment complex and a hotel and conference centre, all located on the former Ford distribution site on the Centre Park Road.

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Developers described the plans as "the single largest development project ever undertaken in Cork".

It is hoped the project will act as a catalyst for other docklands schemes to follow, eventually result in a "New Cork".

The proposed site will also include 575 residential units and 50,000 square metres of office space.

A key element of the project is its proximity to the Eastern Gateway Bridge, which is classed as a main feature of the Docklands development.

Howard Holdings boss Greg Coughlan said the Atlantic Quarter was unparalleled in Cork - in terms of its scale, ambition and vision for the city.

"This is a radically different project to anything Cork has seen before. It is created by some of the leading global design and urbanisation specialists and will offer a unique cluster of landmark buildings of architectural acclaim that will highlight the river's and docklands' prominence to visitors and investors, and signal the strong emergence of Cork city," he said.

(PR/JM)