Re: Re: well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?

Black and White hides a multitude of sins though. As it is you can see from the original picture (1910) the street wasn’t constructed in a uniform fashion. I suspect we have an idealised concept of Limerick City Centre that never existed.

I remember reading that originally the site of the Augustian Church block was meant to be an open square, but the Church forced it’s way onto it and the other buildings were flung up along side the Church once the square concept was lost. Possibly one of the biggest disasters in Limerick’s city centre, as it means Limerick has no central square and the city centre is reduced to a series of junctions.

We need to accept the reality of much of the Georgian stock in Limerick was shoddily built and probably looked poor a few years after being built. As a concept, Georgian Limerick was fine, but i don’t think the concept was fully realised and we left in the odd position of trying to save buildings that don’t have much merit. My biggest objection to the Opera Centre isn’t that it will remove some low-rise and unremarkable buildings, but what it proposes is simply a poor design. I could accept losing some of Ellen Street if what was being proposed was a huge leap forward architecturally , but it appears to be wanton destruction for destructions sake. Internally I accept a lot of these buildings are unsuitable for a shopping centre layout, but the facades needn’t be.

The City Council should determine the city centre we wish to have, and make developers work within that framework, not as is currently happening, waiting for developers to propose the cheapest possible design and then falling over themselves to accept it.

Btw, am about to submit my first ever planning objection, in relation to Limerick Boat Club, wish me luck!