well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?

has anyone got pics of the spaights shopping centre (where dunnes stores is now)

The Shell of ALDI is up so it will only be another few weeks before it’s open possibly late february. Wow I didn’t know there was going to be some kinda of Multistorey building alongside Aldi.
As for Spaights, yeah I would also like to see some pictures of it, I forget what it looks like, then again I would have been really young when it was open.
Anybody got some picture of The Marriott Hotel? I saw it a few weeks ago and I must say it looks really nice and as for the Hilton well imo I think it’s really nice looking.

@jungle wrote:

http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=23245-qqqx=1.asp

Jungle, alas your link to the article was only valid for a day before it wanders into their archives.

http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2007/01/18/story23245.asp

Top architect defends building proposal after parents object (Irish Examiner)

Parents of children attending a nearby school are opposing the plan.

However, Michael Healy said he believed the design was well received by those living and working in the Pery Square area.

Mr Healy, who has designed JP McManus’s €100 million mansion in Co Limerick, said: “The proposed building will make a positive contribution to the diverse character of this part of Limerick.

“It will be constructed in a contemporary idiom and that will make a positive contribution to the area.”

Mr Healy has entered into a partnership agreement with the Church of Ireland, owner of the site.

The building will cover 10,000 sq ft, and will be occupied by his company while the church authorities will have the remainder to rent.

The church says it needs funds for projects such as the restoration of nearby St Michael’s Church.

Mr Healy said: “Pery Square has been to an extent asleep and what we propose is no threat to the Georgian aspect of Pery Square. Indeed it will help complement it.

“Obviously it is in our interest to design a building that is to the highest standard. After all, this will be my work home]Mr Healy said:[/B] “As professional designers it is our duty to address privacy issues and to that extent we believe we have addressed that concern by the introduction of a minimum of slender, high-level windows.”

With regard to concerns by parents of safety during construction, Mr Healy said mitigation measures could be put in place to eliminate risk.

He said: “We have designed the structure in such a manner that the construction will be carried out in the shortest possible time, thus minimising the nuisance to neighbours during the construction period.”

He said the distinguished design would give an added dimension to other new developments proposed for the Pery Square area, which include an extension to the nearby City Art Gallery and the construction of a boutique hotel in Barrington Street.

Any images of these new proposals around? (City Art Gallery extension and boutique hotel in Barrington Street)

Biblical Centre for Research & Learning

Though I have not seen the building yet, the list of good quality building materials used seem to be impressive. Might even inspire the Belltable to develop the nearby Royal Theatre as a Filmhouse. Any new developments on that?

Elliot Maguire Landers Architects

http://www.eml.ie/3-commercial/comm5.html

The project provided an opportunity to design a public building on an important corner site in Limerick City, close to the newly rejuvenated square at Tait’s clock. A strong architectural form was employed to reinforce the streetscape and the stone cladding used on these elevantions augments the public nature of the building. The jura limestone (in a random pattern) also gives warmth and richness to the building, with a stack bonded Carlow Limestone used to highlight the public entrance. This contrasts with the “softer” treatment to the garden façade, where render and oak screens are used.
The foyer has a limestone floor, and a stone clad stairs rises to the first floor research library. The library has a series of education/meeting rooms along its northern face; study carrels are located along the southern façade in a projecting oak screen of windows, shutters and louvers, all to control the flow of ventilation and sunlight ton to the library floor. The joinery and furniture was an integral part of the design and was hand crafted in Irish oak.
The stone inscription over the main consists of the phrase “In the beginning” translated into six languages, including the Irish version. A Joycean quote is also inscribed at ground level.

See also http://www.limerickbiz.com/doninicians_bible_centre.html (Macromedia Flash)

New Boutiqe hotel at Pery Square / Barrington Street

Just a few months after the re-opening of the George, Limerick is to get another “boutique” hotel, this time one of the Georgians on Pery Square is to be renovated to provide a luxury hotel and health spa. The hotel market in Limerick has exploded in recent years, 5 opened last year and 2007 should see the Hilton and the Marriott opening their doors!

The Property at the corner of Pery Square & Barrington Street was used as a hostel until a couple of years ago, it was built by the Pery tontine company in 1838 as a result of a fairly interesting scheme!

using a financial device, called a Tontine, which was quite common then but is now banned. There were 89 shares which cost £120 per share. Each share had a life nominee and while this nominee was alive, the shareowner received dividends from the rental income earned by the company. But as each life died so also did the share it represented. The process continued until only six shares were left. The owners of these six shares got a house each.

Limerick City Council

04584

Boschurch Ltd. C/O Select Hotels Ireland

Development Description: 1. Change of use from derelict dwelling house and former hostel premises to hotel and health spa and all associated facilities. 2. Demolish existing derelict single storey clay brick shed. 3. Demolish and relocate existing derelict clay brick garden wall/conservatory and limestone steps and reinstate gardens: 4. Construct new five storey over basement structure linked to the existing derelict 2 storey over basement dwelling house on Barrington St. to accommodate car parking, restaurant, bedrooms and associated facilities: 5. Construct new external stairs from new basement area to street level and modify existing railings, gates and limestone plinth on Barrington Street. 6. Construct new external stairs from existing basement lightwell area and modify existing railings, gates and limestone plinth on Barrington Street: 7. Form new window ope fit new window and sill on the first floor of No. 1 Pery Square Barrington Street elevation: 8. All related ancillary works. This application is also for a revision of previously granted permission No. P03/434. This is a Protected Structure. SEE ATTACHED SCHEDULE

Development Address: 1 Pery Square and
9 Barrington Street,
Limerick.

Original Application

03434

for change of use of existing Hostel to a Guest House to consist of a kitchen, dining room, toilets and staff toilets in the basement, 2 no. bedrooms and ensuites, an office and reception on the ground floor, a residents lounge and a residents conference room on the first floor, 3 no. bedrooms and ensuites on the second floor, 3 no. bedrooms and ensuites on the third floor. Permission sought to make a good existing slate the existing roof, repair all external windows and doors where required, fit new internal partitions, doors and screens, reposition and replace existing boiler together with re-plumbing, re-wire to include fire detection and security system, reopen one number window on the first floor on the Barrington Street elevation and to demolish and rebuild the existing garden wall to accommodate the enlargement of the parking area (the building is a listed Protected Structure)

Development Address: No. 1 Pery Square
Limerick

Attached Image

No.1 Pery Square (1st building on the left)

http://www.irish-architecture.com

I partly guessed something was up last week, No name had closed its doors and there seemed to be some activity going on inside, This project was starting to look a bit doubtful as it had been almost 2 years since permission was granted!

Still not mad about the external finish, it looks like it kind of obscures the facade of the chapel, would a fully glazed frontage not have been better?, I guess we’ll have to wait for the finished product!..

04488

Received Date 05/11/2004
Applicant Name Mr. John Costello & Mount Kennett Investment Company
Address Mount Kennett House Henry Street Limerick

Status APPLICATION FINALISED

Development
Type PERMISSION

Description for the demolition of the Grand Central Cinema facade, roof, side internal and rear walls, and the retention and restoration of the circa 1820 Wesleyan Methodist Chapel facade and the construction of a 923 sq. m retail unit at basement, ground and first floor level and 821.5sq. m office at second, third and fourth level together with two bin storage yards and associated site works
Address 13 Bedford Row Limerick

Architect Name Arnold Leahy Architects

Protected Structure No

Granted Date 21/04/2005

@CologneMike wrote:

3rd Series of Exploratory Lectures 2007

Limerick County Council Initiative

http://www.lcc.ie/NR/rdonlyres/6E5CD7B1-6515-4668-A213-CFAEB69BE945/0/LimericksBH07v2.pdf

• The Bridge Heritage of The Limerick Region (Jan 30) Lecturer Dr Ronald Cox
• The Development of the Irish Demesne (Feb 13) Lecturer Terence Reeves-Smyth
• God’s Acre: What to look for in your Local Graveyard (Feb 27) Lecturer Victor Buckley
• Design Guide for Individual Houses in County Limerick (Mar 13) Lecturer Nicholas de Jong
• Limerick: Creating A Gateway City (Mar 27) Lecturer Hugh Murray

All are welcome – Admission Free 🙂 – Venue: Woodlands Hotel Adare

heh, I’m changing my name to nostrodamus : read the last paragraph

😀

20,000 cars to bypass Ennis as new road opens

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0127/1169680748243.html

Gordon Deegan

The official opening yesterday of the €204 million Ennis bypass is expected to remove 20,000 cars from the streets of Ennis each day.
Clare county engineer Tom Carey said the 14km scheme “will allow Ennis to breathe again”.
Under the previous development plan, the scheme was initially due for completion in 2004 but was delayed due to inadequate funding and a requirement to redesign it to comply with new contractual requirements.
The work included the construction of a bat-house, visible from the road, which cost in excess of €100,000 to protect the lesser horseshoe bat along the route. The road’s construction forms another part of the Atlantic corridor. Work on the next section, the Gort-Crusheen bypass, is due to commence next year.
Speaking after officially opening the scheme yesterday, Minister for Transport Martin Cullen described Ennis “as a key county town that provides access to many scenic and major tourist areas in the midwest region including Kilkee, Lahinch and the unique Karst limestone region of the Burren”.
He said: “With its proximity to Shannon airport, Ennis facilitates many visitors from both the US and Europe and today’s opening will further benefit tourism to the town, the surrounding areas and many other towns in the counties of Clare, Limerick and north Tipperary which form part of the Limerick Shannon gateway.”
President of the Ennis Chamber of Commerce John Madden said: “Today is a milestone in the history of Ennis. At long last the bypass is here and we have to build on it.”
According to the chairman of the National Roads Authority (NRA), Peter Malone, “schemes such as the Ennis bypass are important not just in a local context but nationally also. The bypass forms part of the Atlantic corridor, which is a core element of the Government’s Transport 21 Plan.
“It will run from Donegal to Waterford and the ongoing development of this corridor will facilitate business expansion and tourism in the southeast, west and northwest of Ireland.”

© 2007 The Irish Times

N85 Western Relief Road / N18 Eastern Bypass

Great news for all those heading down to Kilkee, Doonbeg, Spanish Point, Lehinch, Liscannor, Doolin, Fanore and Ballyvaughan in the summer months 🙂 , as those tailbacks went as far back and beyond Clarecastle, where one big pain in the ass!

A little insight into Limerick City Councils spending plans for the year ahead!

Limerick Post 27th January 2007

Council on spending spree to improve image of city

by Marie Hobbins

Millions of euro will be spent in improvements over next 12 months, including 50,000 on repainting the railings on Shannon Bridge

REPLACING damaged footpaths in Limerick city will cost in the region of 500,000 this year, and carrying out repairs to local roads and footpaths is estimated at 560,000, while some 50,000 euro will go to apply thin surface overlays to existing paths.

These are just some of the figures given in Limerick City Council’s breakdown for works deemed priority status in its Roads programme 2007.

Stressing that submissions from local councillors were prioritised, the Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, states that many of the schemes included in their list “are multi annual rolling programmes, where works to reconstruct the existing roads and footpaths will be carried out over a number of years.”

Resurfacing of a section of the N20 is estimated at 50,000 euro; improvement and resurfacing on the Condell Road, 40,000 euro; route lighting, 40,000 euro; painting of the railings on Shannon Bridge, 50,000 euro:

The recommendations of city councillors for urgent road and footpath improvements were actively considered and in many cases, included in the Roads Programme for this year.

However, as the council points out, not every submission can be attended to, due to funding curtailment.

“An engineering assessment was carried out on each proposal to determine the projects that should be prioritised in terms of benefiting the public, eliminating traffic hazards and sustaining urban development,” the Transportation Department states.

Other main expenditure will centre on:

* Upgrading the footpaths on the Dock Road will cost an estimated 200,000 euro, with a similar amount for improvements to the Dublin Road O’Callaghan Strand is to have expenditure of 400,000 euro, and 200,000 euro will be spent on refurbishing O’Dwyer Bridge.

* New traffic lights at the Childers Road/Hyde Road junction will cost in the region of 50,000 euro, and the same amount will be invested in improving pedestrian crossing facilities at the Shannon Bridge roundabout, as well as some 25,000 euro for other minor safety improvements.

* Limerick City Council will spend 450,000 euro this year on traffic lights and road signage, as well as 100,000 euro to extend the cycle pathways at the Parkway Roundabout to join with new cycle paths coming in from the University of Limerick.

* In the city, road and footpath improvements will cost some 560,000 euro. This will facilitate works on Summerville Avenue (80,000 euro): Sarsfield Street (100,000 euro): Courtbrack Avenue (80,000 euro): Kileely (60,000 euro):Top of Bloodmill Road (30,000 euro): Lower Park road (60,000 euro): Mill Road (50,000 euro): St Patrick’s Road (50,000 euro): Ashbrook (50,000 euro).

* An allocation of 500,000 has been set aside for concrete footpath repairs throughout the city, to continue the work started last year.

* Some 50,000 euro will go on thin surface overlays to footpaths at Janemount Park, Kileely, Irish Estates, Corbally, Garryowen, Janesboro, Mayorstone and Kennedy Park.

* Gulley cleaning and replacement will cost in the region of 100,000; patching of roads, 80,000 euro, gully replacement in Moyross, 10,000 euro, and raising manhole covers citywide, 25,000 euro.

* The provision of bollards will cost 40,000 euro, and 25,000 euro is estimated for traffic calming measures in each of the four city wards.

* Improved security lights for the city’s north side will cost in the region of 150,000 euro (this comes from the Dormant Account). Public light renewals will cost 50,000 euro, and 670,000 euro is calculated for ESB public lights, maintenance and energy costs.

* For the ongoing pedestrianisation of Thomas Street, including Augustinian Lane, Little Catherine Street and Little William Street, an allocation of 2,600,000 has been estimated; there is two million euro for the remodelling of Upper Thomas Street, including Foxes Bow; 4.5million for the Corbally Link Road; 1.75million for Clancy Strand upgrade: 1.5million for O’Callaghan Strand riverside upgrade: one million for the construction of green routes, and 100,000 for the design of an access road for Moyross.

A number of studies will be carried out during this year. These include a feasibility study for the creation of an inner orbital route in the city centre that will facilitate the pedestrianisation or partial pedestrianisation of O’Connell Street. This study will be advanced to Part 8 in February: A study for the remodelling of William Street and a study on the Limerick City Public Realm strategy will be published later this year.

Director of services, Pat Dromey, says that while every effort will be made by the council to carry out all the works included in their Roads Programme, “some schemes may have to be dropped and others added, should more urgent or emergency works arise during the course of the year.”

@Tuborg wrote:

Limerick Post 27th January 2007

Riverside city comes into its own

LIMERICK City Council is set to deliver on a promise given by the city manager, Tom Mackey, just before Christmas that very specific moves to develop the city’s riverside strategy are all set for rollout.

The council’s objective is to create new high quality amenity areas focusing on the river quays.

Central to that is the development of separate parks on Clancy and O’Callaghan Strands, the installation of boardwalks from Thomond Bridge to the water’s edge at King John’s Castle and on towards the quays is just one element to the council’s riverside strategy for which tender documents have been finalised.

Cllr Diarmuid Scully repeated a concern he voiced some weeks ago regarding increased traffic that will develop on the quays, as a result of the pedestrianisation of the city centre.

He also said that a boardwalk from King John’s Castle would be “controversial”

“I’d be slow to tamper with any aspect of King John’s Castle, which is a very valuable asset for the city,” he said.

King John’s Castle Boardwalk

Indeed controversial!!!!

Where can one view these “specific moves to develop the city’s riverside strategy” which “are all set for rollout” ????