dave123

@Tuborg wrote:

An unusual event occurred over the last week or so with two developments given the go ahead in the “medieval” area of the city! The reason its unusual is because Limerick City Council have shot down a considerable number of applications especially in the Nicholas Street area over the last couple of years.

There has been a lot of noise over the last decade or so about developing Nicholas Street as a tourist attraction, however very little has actually been achieved. The area is currently plagued by vacant premises and wholesale neglect.

The major problem seems to be a lack of a coherent strategy for the rejuvenation of the area. There needs to be some kind of stimulus to attract businesses to locate here. Maybe the Council could reduce the commercial rate or better still waive it for a certain period?

Anyway, the first site is on Bridge Street, just across the road from St Mary’s Cathedral.

Thanks for the link’s and pics. I actually enquired about that site, it’s one of the few remaining prime sites on Nicolas street to be redeveloped.

I must agree with you on the the issue with Nicolas street been a tourist area. it has real potential. Many people by-pass this part of town. Especially since the Northern Relief road was built and the existing street was de trunked completely and made one way. The street need’s good access and sign posting. It’s one of the oldest street’s in the city (if not the oldest part of town). It should be noted.

I live in Dublin, and many of my friends have never seen that part of town. The medieval area. Most people, say oh limerick is just a big block of wide streets. But this is one of the first English towns in the country, with alot of the charactor and architecture intact.As a kid Nicolsas street used to be a thriving area, and traffic used to be horrendus in the summer! Mainly because it was the only East to the North and west artery over to Clare, if you avoided the city centre route. Now thankfully the Relief road adjacent was built.

Anyone seen what the 4 story development would look like? Hope it’s good. This part of town is taking off literally. The newish development on the relief road and Corbally are pretty impressive IMO.

The bridge site looks really promising for ripe fresh redevelopment renaicannce (sorry for spelling) of this street
🙂

So when will the contruction begin on the Opera centre. Any update on ABP with their review.

This is the single one development that wll give the city it’s hearbeat back that it needs now. In order for the city to perform as a proper CBD and balance the retail market in the greater Limerick area.

The population of Limerick is still growing. I just cannot see much cons, to not building this scheme. Look at Henry street now, and how impressive trading is there! After the rejuivenation. Limerick city centre can finally attract more investment, that will further make the city centre a profitable place to do business.

I thought that development was rejected a few months back:confused: Did they reapply the application of this one, or is this a different app? I’m sure it was the same development brought forward.

Is there any plans available of what is proposed, would like to see them. Glad to see that depressing lot on those pics, to go to be honest. 6 storeys seems good planning aswell, High density is the way to go in the CBD area. It will push land values up and further stimulate investment along the peripherals.

Anything happening with the docklands? Any site around the Riverpoint eamarked for high rise, It would be nice to a cluster of high rise buildings, for working, living and retail combined. Create a real riverside buzz.

Also has Estuary house started, sorry for all the question’s, I haven’t really been around Limerick since last year to have a good nose in to see what’s happening. But right now the city seems to be really still pulling in more redevelopment and investment.

@shanekeane wrote:

I didnt say they would have to be renaissance arcades, im saying that if you cut into buildings in order to create a place where shoppers can walk and sit in the rain, you wont have any more ugly awnings and you wont have our city centre being turned into a shopping mall. It could be a perfectly modern design.

Shane read the post before you post. 🙂
Sometimes, you might want to read it twice in your case!

On topic 😀

I heard recently that the Limerick Tunnel itself, is almost contructed. I will try get more news on this. Limerick seems to be holdng well in comparison to other regions, with the current city centre projects going up.

@CologneMike wrote:

It would be wishful thinking on my part that Howard Holdings could now have even bigger plans to include that Richmond Court “C-Shaped” block of apartments into a truly “Estuary Quarters”. Demolishing and converting this whole block into offices with a highrise element similar to the nearby riverpoint would be in my opinion the better use of this city centre site.

See previous posts “Urban renewal at what price?” and “Richmond Court”

Originally this petrol station site was planned for a hotel.

Would they have to knock all of the Richmond block?. I haven’t being down that way in a while, In my opinion the Richmond block doesn’t look to bad, or it just me?

To me it would be sensible to retain at least a fraction of the existing proposed high rise elements, It would give more charactor too, if they are proposing to take the whole block anyway!

The land values are pretty expensive here, and will shoot up eventially. So i can see that there is some sense to inject further development here. Bear in mind the whole area here, is zonnd for High density and high rise, in The city development plans.

That the Esturauy house development on the Dock road is approved? Its Consist of eight floors. It looks pretty decent. But this is defeniately not a high rise:rolleyes: But on topic, Has this started construction? I only gor the news from that site!

Any update on The new five storey development approved for Glenthworth/Henry street junction?

P.S When the Opera does go ahead, does this mean Limerick will lose one of it’s biggest night spots?:confused:

I heard more updates on Henry street.

Five storey development on the corner of Henry/Glenthworth street. It got the go ahead too. My memory is blurr, but what’s actually their now? Has anyone seen the pictures of this proposed development. Look’s like more great news for this great city centre street 🙂

P.S there is more news on this but not much limerick-leader website, if you want to check it out.

@Tuborg wrote:

After all the recent shenanigans at the crescent and parkway valley, an extension to the Coonagh cross centre is now planned. This development is already considerably behind schedule as initially the second phase of the complex was due to be in operation by this summer. Although it is good to see a cinema included in the plans, a badly needed amenity on this side of the city.

Still no word on the opera centre though, the planners are obviously still sifting through the finer points of the application!

It’s good to see this side of the city devleloping and giving northside the altternative of crossing over the city to meet their needs. A cinema is a plue too considering Limerick has only 2 suburban cinemas, that are really in need of more healthy competition.

What Limerick really needs is an city cinema more so. There is plenty of land still left on Henry Street around Symths and ESB pherpherials to be redevdeloped. Hopefully there will be a developer that will be keen on getting a cinema in there possibly.

BTW, The Crescent exstenstion could of went ahead if they built another access link from the road over the railway to the shopping centre. Also Childers road and Dooradoyle roads will be relieved a little when the Tunnel opens. At present thse local roads are use as ratruns to get to the north side of the city from the Cork and south roads.

Also they could of easily upgraded that line and use it as a line to get from the Cresenct to the city centre rail station. Just and idea……

Any word on the Opera centre. They really need to get a move on. The boarded up area is looking painfully annoying, when you think of this application just still waiting to go through.

@tomk wrote:

Depressing article for Limerick in yesterday’s Sunday Tribune about Dunnes and future of LImerick shopping in general. I can understand Sarsfield St shutting down with the more modern Henry Street one just around the corner. I agree with the point about overshopped. With Opera Centre and Cresent extension coming on stream, is there really a need for yet another major complex out at Parkway Valley – what with existing Parkway SC , retail park and Childers Road centres within a stones throw? Are there any anchor tenants left who would even consider anchoring it. All major names are already represented in existing centres or ones under development. Article below.

DUNNES Stores is to close its shops at Sarsfield Street and O’Connell Street in Limerick next month, according to local reports. The department store has also decided to cease 24-hour trading at the Jetland shopping centre in the city. Limerick is facing a significant oversupply of shopping space at present.
“There’s far too many shops in the city. People have been saying this for ages,” said one leading retail expert.
“Limerick is overshopped. It’s as simple as that. There’s about a million square feet of retail park space lying vacant there,” said another source.
The city centre has also been struggling, with anecdotal evidence suggesting the number of vacant shops there is rising. Five shops at Sarsfield Street alone have closed in recent months.
The Opera Centre is the latest shopping centre planned for the town and Marks & Spencer will anchor that scheme. Jerry O’Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney bought the site for the shopping centre last year. The developers and hoteliers are involved in several joint ventures together including Superquinn. Rival developer Liam Carroll is also planning a major new shopping centre at Parkway Valley.
Retail research company Crest’s annual shopping centre review ranked three shopping centres in Limerick amongst the 10 worst performers in the country. In 50th and last place was Jetland shopping centre while Castletroy and Parkway were also in the bottom ten.

Whoever wrote it is very stupid.

Second. Parkway and Sarsfield street stores have been performing bad, because Dunne’s stores has built news stores nearyby of both of the existing ones, one at the Childer’s road retail park, only a few feet away. The other City centre Sarsfield street Dunne’s has been left underfunded for years. While a much more sucessful Dunne’s opened up a few feet further up at the Henry street corner. The Henry street store is thriving. So Whoever wrote that article is a gobshite 🙂 And clearly forget to mention the facts.

Dunne’s were realistically going to move out of Sarsfield street anyhoo, its just painfully taking years to do so. I’m glad they finally are getting rid of the Sarsfield street store. We can hopefully see this old block open up for redevelopment now.

The Castletroy S.C is doing pretty fine too. It only a neighbourhood S.C with a few retail units and a superquinn. That article is very misleading, in how it was presented and written.

Parkway is closing down soon, tenants moving out and its one of the oldest S.C in the country. Of course it’s assumeable that it won’t perform as it did. Parkway S.C was very busy and popular years ago, when it was one of the first shopping centres to start out.

That article is VERY deceptive. The person who wrote has an issue with Limerick progressing 😀 poor fecker.

Pity he didn’t post his name 😉