justnotbothered
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
More development for Henry Street, glad to see the end of that derilict yard tbh. Amazing how much it’s cahnged from Bedford Row to O’Curry Street.
New city site purchased for Foriegn Affairs staff
THE Commissioner of Public Works has agreed lease terms on a site in Limerick City for the Irish Aid section of the Department of Foreign Affairs‚ which will be decentralising here.
The site, at the back of the old O’Connell Street County Council offices, facing onto the “sinking church” on Henry Street will, on completion, house the Development Co-operation Directorate (DCD). The git-out date is mid-2007.
Welcoming the news this week, Minister of State Tim O’Malley said that the space in question is sufficient for up to 150 staff and is well located in the business and commercial centre of Limerick.
He added that extensive consultations have taken place between the OPW and the Department of Foreign Affairs, and both bodies are satisfied with this development.
Already some 41 staff members within the Department have expressed an interest in decentralising to these new offices and currently 28 are in place, explained Deputy O’Malley.
Agree about Liddy street, did anyone else hear a rumour that Roches Stores have a big development planned for there?
Also heard a very worrying rumour that certain people want to build on Arthur’s Quay Park, Limerick City Council clearly dislike open spaces in their town!
Bridging the future . . . Clare to here just got closer
Tom Lyons
A �100m bridge across the Shannon could help turn the midwest into a gateway to Europe.
As our images reveal if the 3km bridge was completed it would take around 36km or up to an hour at peak times off the driving time from Foynes Port in county Limerick to Shannon airport.
Using an underground �380m tunnel which is planned for near Limerick the total journey is reduced by just 5km.
However, the promoters of the bridge, the Shannon Foynes Port Company, said that projected growth in the midwest meant the bridge and tunnel would complement each other by improving overall access to the region.
The bridge which is only at the feasibility stage is part of a strategy by the Shannon Foynes Port Company to work with other state agencies to create a “counterbalance” to the east coast of the country.
Combined with the completion of the duel carriage-way between Ennis in Clare and Galway it would more than double the existing catchment area of Shannon airport to more than 700,000 people.
The Shannon Foynes Port Company, which manages ports in the Shannon estuary including Limerick and Foynes, commissioned a study by engineering giant Parsons Brinkerhoff to examine the possibility of a bridge.
The international group concluded that a pre-cast bridge could be built in less than a year for under �100m.
The bridge would have a 100m wide navigational span which would be 30m above the Shannon estuary’s mean high-water point to allow shipping get through.
Shannon Foynes is also conducting a review of its 45 acres of port property in Limerick city which could transform the docklands by creating a new “enterprise centre”.
Such a development could release up to �100m in equity for the port company to expand its deep port facilities downstream in Foynes and invest in the bridge in what would probably be a public-private partnership arrangement.
Port chairman Kieran MacSweeney said he hoped the bridge would be included in the National Development Plan from 2006 to 2012.
“The bridge would be sufficiently further downstream that it would enhance and be in addition to the tunnel in Limerick.”
He added: “This will need to get support from the NRA and the local authorities. It is a major project but one that brings major benefit. We are in the middle of discussing the opportunities.
“It should be viewed as integrated and uniting the region.”
“We believe it fits perfectly with our plans on the basis that we will have the equity to pursue such an opportunity on the back of developments in Limerick,” Mr MacSweeney said.
“You are talking about four or five years before such a bridge could became realised.
“But we have to start looking that far ahead,” said the chairman who is also managing director of Avocent International, a US multinational.
“This region is getting bigger. We have to start looking at what the population base will be and what the infrastructural requirements will be in three to 10 years time.
“We also hope to create an international port complex with a transhipment hub downstream in Foynes.”
“We see Rotterdam and other European ports becoming congested.”
Mr MacSweeney added: “We see a huge opportunity evolving for the west of Ireland if we can leverage the transhipment hub complex.
“We have been talking about it for 20 years but now is the time to do it.”
Hilton hotel to open in Limerick
ONE of the world’s most recognised hotel brands is to open in Limerick later this year, when the Hilton chain takes over the former Jury’s site.
The Limerick Hilton is due to open in late 2006 at the corner of the Ennis Road and O’Callaghan Strand, delivering 150 permanent full and part-time jobs to the city.
Hotels on this site were previously known to Limerick people as The Inter-continental, Jury’s Doyle and recently The Strand.
Hilton International will now operate the seven story-high, 184-bedroom hotel in which Lalco invested 55 million euro to develop.
Lalco Developments, one of Ireland’s leading development companies, teamed up with Hilton International to bring Limerick this new premier standard hotel, which will overlook the Shannon.
A landmark building, close to Limerick city centre, the hotel has a number of facilities designed specifically for the requirements of the discerning business, dining, wedding, healthy-living and general accommodation markets.
A spokesperson for the new hotel, which is currently under construction said: “The entire seventh level is dedicated to executive meeting rooms and lounges which will have the latest modern conference and break-out facilities. Exclusive terraces wrap around the executive rooms giving delegates a sense of airiness and spectacular views over the city. Wireless Internet is available throughout the hotel and each bedroom and executive room has been designed and laid out with the needs of the business user in mind.”
She explained that the large 130-seat restaurant will focus on fine-dining; while there will be a caf
Fin, can I just add myvoice to the claim that recent developments in Galway seem to be going out of their way to be ugly and unimpressive. GMIT wins an award for their “sails” and sudenly everything has to have copper cladding? There’s a difference between “dragging someone into the 21st century” and building ikea flat pack, fold away buildings.
Thomond Park wrote:Yes a dyke would hypothetically protect a specific plot from rising water levels]Not sure what you mean by this, have actually bought anything or even produced any plans at all yet?
I’m sorry about the stone crazy remark, I don’t want to get personal and lose sight of the bigger picture. I’d as happy as anyone that Limerick is turning things around and becoming a modern city but look at streets like Catherine st, William st, Parnell st, Mallow st, O’Curry st, Nicholas street, Broad st, etc etc. All these streets are in dire need of development, I’d happily support proper investment in those areas, or the Docklands, Dock road area (another blackspot). My point is that this plan is not good for the city. Lets put the money into fixing up the city as she already stands rather than attacking yet anoher bit of parkland.
Lets work on moving Limerick forward conserving her unique areas.
@mopeds wrote:
From Reading that article it is clear the developers want to protect the wetlands while developing some really valuable land close to the city.I am well in favour of this development. The more great building projects that go up in Limerick. The more fantastic the city will look.
Lets hope it gets the go ahead.
Are you stone crazy? how do you protect wetlands while simultaneously building on them? What about access roads , pipes etc. The article clearly states half the land would have to be reclaimed, leaving it clear they intend the other 50% to come from the Wetlands themselves. Meanwhile, Limerick city proper is literally full of undeveloped sites. I’m all for development, but this would be a disaster for the city, imagine the shame of having a special EU conservation area concreted over? What does this city have against parkland, between trying to sell of Arthur’s Quay, the People’s Park and now this?
I honestly wonder how you could even begin to to consider this project anything other than a disaster for the area.
The land in question isn’t on the Clare side of Barrington’s pier, it’s beside the Shannon bridge.
As usual developers are using the Leader and Post to dripfeed out information, confusion and rumour. No plans have even been presented yet, leaving the papers nicely able to invent all sorts of glorious details, like this fictious events centre. Read the article, the events centre is journalistic excitement which should have been pulled by the editor.
@mopeds wrote:
Well obviously not develop in the middle of the lake but further up there it is just fields What a waste of land. The obviously wouldnt be building in the openly sensitive areas.
Any obviosly Munster bring High quality tourists – 3 Times a year.
Imagine that every second week- Loads of concerts to go to, Events. TV Shows how can Limerick turn down that opportunity
Mopeds, I agree with you about development beyond Barringtons pier, however this plan explicitly favours development between the bridge and the pier. Again, the 8,000 events centre is just a rumour the Leader threw in to muddy the water. It was originally mooted to be built as part of a redeveloped docklands.
@mopeds wrote:
Hi Guys I am a long time reader and 1st time poster here. I think if developed properly the wetlands could be a huge amenity to Limerick. Lets face it that land is hugely under used at present and it is city centre space. I dont know about you but whenever i drive in from Shannon I get an imense sense of pride driving over the bridge and how well the quays look today if this development adds to that all well and good. But it must be sensitive to its surroundings and the wildlife that live there.
Also an 8000 seater events centre would be a major plus for Limerick and bringing visitors to there and lets face it we need alot more tourists to come to Limerick.On a seperate point does anyone else think Limerick is building too many shopping centres. We have 3 so called “biggest shopping centres in munster” under planning at present. I am hugely in favour of the opera centre and the badly needed development in the city centre. But the need for the other 2 is questionable especially the one at the parkway. I think Limerick is already overshopped as it is.
Developed properly? Surely you mean conserved properly? i’m not against development, but this plan stinks of destruction for destructions sake. In no way, shape or form could this plan be considered a “good move” for the city.
The 8000 seater centre is pure “kiteflying” by the Leader, if you look at the actual quotes the Leader more or less admits it just threw in that speculation, the original (and best) site for such a centre is across the river, where there is land, access roads, carparking, etc to deal with such a project.@asdasd wrote:
Oh we have one of those in dublin. Probably more common than you think, then.
Just saying, like.
All I know is it’s been the subject of study on an EU level, There’s a particular flora there that only grows in one other part of the British Isles and Ireland.
@billy the squid wrote:
.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who objects to this development terrorism? This pie in the sky project would be a disaster for Limerick. The Westfields Wetlands have been recognised as one of the few urban wetlands in Europe, any attempt to destroy them (which this plan effectively is) must be resisted, If they feel the need to invest such sums of money in the Limerick region, can I suggest that the dockland area of Limerick is far more deserving of investment? If the city council agree to this monstrosity of a plan it will be the second parkland they have desecrated within a year, good work city council!
Incredible. We’ll just have to keep working on the positive sides to Limerick and hope the negative images fades.
17/02/06
Developers plan to drain river for housingBy Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent
A MAJOR plan to drain a section of the River Shannon near Limerick city centre and reclaim it as prime residential land has been drawn up.The plan centres on a strip along the river bank adjacent to the North Circular Road between Shannon Bridge and Barrington’s Pier.
It is believed that a consortium which has been put together by a top developer will discuss the project at a private meeting in Limerick today.
A leading firm of Limerick auctioneers will be represented at the meeting.
One source said: “This is one of the most extraordinary projects ever drawn up in this country.”
The land in question is flooded at high tide.
But developers feel a huge dyke could secure it and enable a massive in-fill operation to be carried out to reclaim a strip along the river bank.
It is believed that the backers of the huge project want to develop luxury apartments which would be fronted by a promenade on the river.
The area is a designated conservation area, and if the project is to get approval by Limerick City Council, an environmental impact study will be necessary.
A source at Limerick City Hall, who asked not to be named, said: “The consortium have taken soundings from the council to find out what its attitude in principle would be to such a development.”
There is a huge shortage of development land within the Limerick City boundary area and reclaimed land along the Shannon would command massive prices from the building industry.
The site is also on a prime location overlooking the river and adjacent to the up-market North Circular Road.
The construction of Condell Road, linking the Ennis Road to Shannon Bridge, would also enable various access roads to be built to the reclaimed site.
The shortage of new houses in Limerick has led to people queuing for days to book when new sites open.
Auctioneers, despite the shortage, claim Limerick presents the best value in new house prices.
There is also talk of building a new stand for Limerick FC at Hogan Park once the lease is finally secured.
Also the University of Limerick apparently want to build a stadium to house their own FAI/League of Ireland team,
This new plan by the council is remarkably crazy even for them. It’s incomprehensible how they can feel this is in any way good for either the city or the county. Surely they should be trying to preserve a greenbelt around the city to impress upon people the difference between city and county, rather than building the county up until it is a separate city surronding the city proper. Coming from either Galway or Dublin we will first encounter these developments, then another string of suburbia before coming upon the city centre, urpan sprawl is obviously an aspiration of Limerick city councillors.
Woah, lads calm down. Fact is we all want to see Limerick progress and develop, and we should utilise both archiseek.com and boards.ie as separate and valuable forums in both promoting Limerick and developing a positive image for Limerick.
Tuborg, is there any chance you inadvertantly copied Billy’s pictures without providing a link?
Billy, you should be proud that your pictures have been chosen to be used on a thread about the changing face of Limerick.
All in all, either way it’s good to see the city looking as well as it has been recently.
The new building on the canal at the Claddagh end is such a wasted oppurtunity, it looks like they’ve lumped together the blandest aspects of any number of apartment blocks.
