Cork City Council has granted planning permission for a city centre office development that the owners say will see up to 2,000 new jobs come into the heart of the city by the end of 2015.

Number 1, Albert Quay, is a nine-storey â‚¬50 milliion office development with riverside frontage.

The developers, Bam Contractors and JCD say work on the glass-fronted, 200,000 sq ft building will commence in just over a month, creating 300 construction jobs over the 20-month build.

This is the biggest investment in the city centre in over five years. It will also be seen as a vote of confidence in the development of the inner Docklands. The prime riverside location is next to City Hall facing the Clarion Hotel.

The development will consist of Grade A, large floor-plate office space with over 32,000 sq ft per floor. This is precisely the type of office developments that the IDA has repeatedly warned there is a shortage of in Ireland, particularly in city centre locations. BAM Contractors and JCD have already successfully worked together on the largest office development to be built in Ireland during the teeth of the recession - City Gate Park in Mahon. The complex is now home to companies such as EMC, Dell, RDJ solicitors and Fireye.

â€œWe are currently in negotiations with a number of potential occupiers of the new building. Cork has a great track record in attracting multi- national companies and I believe that this building, which will accommodate up to 2,000 people, provides a unique opportunity to attract further investment with large floor-plate, world-class office facilities that major international and indigenous companies are looking for,â€ said JCD's John Cleary.

The offices will be built to the highest global standards with full LEED accreditation (the US gold standard for sustainability) and use of the latest, efficient and sustainable technology. This is a major project that will attract further investment and jobs to the city.