well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

I’ve split off a few threads…:confused:

Thomond Park
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=6062

University of Limerick
https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=6061

Thanks Paul, nothing personal like but your communicating style would put anyone off from posting. Could you be a bit more precise about your intentions for this thread? Bear in mind when you unannounced decided to “split off a few threads” here, it is somewhat irritating as posting often requires a bit of time, thought and research. Maybe in the interest of clarity, could you place a “sticky” at the top of the Irish forum which could orientate posters as to how you would like to see the threads develop otherwise let laissez-faire prevail.

Fitzgerald Report

‘Bigger’ Limerick seen as key to rejuvenation

Frank McDonald, Environment Editor

Limerick’s city boundary should be extended to incorporate the portion of Co Limerick lying north of the Shannon to facilitate the regeneration of Moyross, according to former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald.
Although a press release issued by the Department of the Environment on Tuesday made no mention of this, Mr Fitzgerald said it was critical.

In his full report on addressing social exclusion in Moyross and other deprived parts of Limerick, which has been seen by The Irish Times, he said that the boundary extension would help to focus efforts on regenerating these areas.

“In my opinion, the boundary on the northside of the city is dysfunctional. Three local authorities are involved in an area that’s crying out for regeneration, so I see that extension as something that should be done in the short term in the interests of the city.”

The report points out that the current local government arrangements have led to a proliferation of shopping centres on the outskirts of the city and a concentration of social housing – amounting to 42 per cent of the total stock – within its existing boundary.

Mr Fitzgerald’s report, which was accepted by the Government this week, also recommends the creation of two dedicated regeneration agencies – one for the northside of Limerick, including Moyross, and one for the southside, including Southill.

The first priority it identifies is dealing with the issue of criminality, which would be “fundamental to creating the conditions for other interventions to be successful”, and it recommends the deployment of 100 extra gardaí in the target areas.

Saying this was “a matter of urgency”, the report adds: “Undoubtedly the reality of serious criminal activity, and the resulting negative perception of the city, is inhibiting these communities, the city and surrounding areas from reaching their full potential”.

Other priorities would be to “create employment, unlock value, improve access and create a better commercial and housing mix [ as well as] developing co-ordinated responses to social and educational problems, in order to break the cycle of disadvantage”.

These estates are among the most deprived in the country, the report says.
But it goes on: “It is important to note, particularly in the context of proposing solutions, that the problems in these estates have developed over some considerable time.”

Describing their conditions as “stark” and quality of life as “extremely poor”, Mr Fitzgerald says that this “cannot fully bring home what I found to be the everyday reality faced by these local communities. The picture that emerged . . . was in many respects quite shocking.”

“Violent crime, related both to gang rivalry and drugs, is now a very serious issue and is gradually extending over wider areas. Families have been intimidated and houses burned out, making it difficult to re-let them . . . Anti-social behaviour is also a major concern.

“The scale of the criminal, social, and economic problems in areas such as Moyross . . . is not only a blight on the communities that have to live there but, left unchecked, could pose a real threat to commercial and social life in Limerick city as a whole.”

Unemployment is five times the national average, and this problem is exacerbated by extremely weak transport links.

Young people living in Moyross or Southill also find it more difficult to get jobs because of negative perceptions of the areas.

“There is a serious problem of educational disadvantage,” the report says. “It is not unusual to see young people, often of primary school age, wandering the streets . . . More support for creches, before and after-school clubs, and activities for youths, is clearly required.”

Mr Fitzgerald calls for the demolition of 1,000 houses which he says are beyond remediation.
“At reasonable density levels, the footprint of the land area involved could provide between 2,000 and 3,000 housing units” – about a quarter to meet social housing needs.

“This process will require intensive consultation with the local community on the basis that the vast majority are law-abiding citizens who will wish to remain, and can therefore be guaranteed secure, good quality, housing within the regenerated areas.”

Asked yesterday about the cost, which some estimates have put at €300-€400 million, Mr Fitzgerald said “a lot of it simply involves refocusing resources already within the system” and that private sector funding would also be released by a return of confidence.

© 2007 The Irish Times

Any thoughts on the solutions?

@Tuborg wrote:

Its interesting to see the boundary extension issue being raised again, I wonder will it take John Fitzgeralds recomendations to finally get the government moving. In reality Limerick is never going to get a boundary extension through a submission to the DOE, as the government lacks the courage to make the correct decision. The local representatives are a disgrace aswell, they still cant decide which side of the fence they’re on and even if they are in favour of a much needed boundary extension, they are too afraid to come out and say it for fear of upsetting anyone!

Bear that in mind when they come knocking on your door, all smiles, telling you all they have done for Limerick over the last couple of years!:mad:

Fitzgerald Report (Boundary Extension)

Time for all residents, politicians who live in the three local authority jurisdictions of Limerick city to put a halt to this absurd way of administrating our city. The city lies geographically in the very north-eastern corner of the County of Limerick and borders the very south-eastern corner of County of Clare.

Cities in general grow naturally out from it’s core which makes it important that one coherent body plans and executes its development. Fact is that the Limerick County Council and the Clare County Council dictate how the city expands and not the City Council! The term doughnut city can be best applied to Limerick and what more blatant example of one sided cherry picking planning in that of the provision of social housing.

With the exception of a small part of Moyross, the Limerick and Clare County Councils provide zero social housing estates in the greater Limerick city area but still administer nearly half of its population. I wonder how often do these three authorities meet, daily? weekly? monthly or yearly? to conduct the affairs of the city?

With the election looming every politician should make it be known as to what goal post do they nail their colours to i.e. for or against the boundary extension? Some are even flirting with ideas of a new Castletroy town!

Or am I barking up the wrong tree, where maybe the city of Limerick is effectively run by the Department of Environment some 200 Km from Limerick and these three local authorities only rubberstamp the affairs of the city? If that is so then maybe the (Dáil Éireann) voting preferences of lets say of Donegal could have more bearings on the affairs of Limerick city than the elected (toothless) local mayor and city councillors at local government level. End of rant………:mad:

@Tuborg wrote:

City Central Limerick

As this development takes shape I think its clear to see that it will have an extremely positive impact on the city centre, which is nice!:)

Indeed, full credit to the developer Michael Daly, a bold statement of a commerical building in the heart of the city centre. Their two projects to date (Riverpoint and Savoy) have certainly raised the city’s standard for high quality design and throw down the gauntlet to the likes of Brown Thomas, Debenhams, Penneys or the proposed Opera Centre. I extracted some images from the sales broschure you dug up. Also a slightly larger image of the proposed development on the former Central Cinema site (Bedford Row) from their Spring 2007 broschure.

Wow!! How much more stuff can fit on that side of the city. The amount of retail in the pipeline for Limerich is scary! A lot of it needed but can it all be sustained ? Has the Opera Centre started ?
In fairness though the Parkway could do with a face lift.;)

With a connecting Luas from there to the retail core and you would have a super system; the distance from Colbert to O’Connell St has always been the problem; integrated ticketing and you would be onto a winner; you have the alignment as far as the park free of charge and on street for another 1/2 mile and all bases are covered.

I just had a look at the planning permission for the parkway development.

http://www.lcc.ie/ePlan/InternetEnquiry/rpt_ViewApplicDetails.asp?validFileNum=1&app_num_file=064103

It is not the parkway shopping centre, its an extension to the parkway retail park.
If i am reading it right it will have 51 retail units, 16 restaurant/cafe units, 2 financial units and a “health, lifestyle and well-being centre” .There will be both under and above ground parking catering for 1600 cars. There is also an extensive public park including a football pitch and a skate park.
The original plan included a 10 screen cinema but is being replaced by a “new multi-functional sports and performance auditorium(to accommodate ice rink, sports/basketball court, theatre)”.

This is gonna be hugh. I wonder how much of it will be in the finished article going by the massive scale down of the coonagh cross shopping centre. But seeing as work has already begun they must be going with the planning permission in its current form.

@Tuborg wrote:

Parkway Valley Shopping Centre

You would really have to question whether there is any demand for yet another suburban shopping centre, especially in the Parkway/Childers road area where there has been an explosion of retail parks in the last couple of years, it smacks of overkill to me. Also where exactly is the road infrastructure to support this? Its also yet another example of the inability of both Limerick local authorities to work together or more to the point it basically shows why a boundary extension is so urgently required.

Parkway Valley Park and Ride:rolleyes:

Interesting thing that the entrance to this proposed Shopping Complex with it’s planned 1600 free parking spaces is just 2 Km from Michael Street i.e. Opera Shopping Centre. The Limerick County Council is bent on engaging in a form of commercial cannibalism with the city centre!

Probably turn inadvertently into a park and ride stop for car commuters i.e. free parking all day and then take the euro-bus line into the city centre. Good value for money? 😀

See also link

@The Fitzgerald Report wrote:

A new road is currently planned to the north of the city linking the N7 to the Coonagh roundabout

Interesting.
Has anyone else heard any about this