justnotbothered

Sorry Tuborg, I must be mistaken, there’s a thread in the Limerick section of http://www.boards.ie on new developments in Limerick City Centre, the day before you posted on the strand a poster on boards referred to the new Strand project as a possible new Munchins house, I assumed you were echoing his sentiments. The website for the strand is http://www.thestrandlimerick.com, but I wouldn’t call it comprehensive. Sorry for any offence.

I’m sorry Limerick Guy, but when has “it could be a lot worse” ever been an acceptable standard of design? the riverfront is already badly served by the old Dunnes, Pier One buildings, this is just another example of lazy, cheap design,

The plan for the Opera centre is to keep the facades of much of Patrick Street and Ellen Street, which is good I suppose. I’m not a massive fan of the proposed walk way to the car park on Denamrk Street,

Why is it called the Opera Centre (a least unofficially)? The building called Williams Stores on Patrick street was the birthplace of a famous opera singer apparently, and as such, it is listed. Part of the plan is to renovate/restore this building and open it to the public, not sure in what capacity though.

I understand that the planning application for the Michael St/Ellen Street development has been lodged, anyone know the particulars? This is a massive chance for Limerick to re-energise the city centre, lets hope it’s a good design.

I don’t think it’s too bad, though I’ve only seen it from driving past. Must admit that photo does make me want to re-evaluate my persepective.

Third private hospital for city

AFTER years of having no private medical hospital in Limerick, the city is soon to have three, as details of a 100 million euro private hospital and clinic in Adare, were announced this week.

The multi-millionaire owner of the Adare Manor golf resort in County Limerick, Tom Kane, is planning to build the 100-bed private hospital on the grounds of his exclusive five-star hotel.

And the new hospital is set to follow in the footsteps of the existing Barringtons Private hospital, which will have a 70-bed capacity by the end of 2006 and the 95-bed Blackberry Medical Facility, which is currently in construction and due for completion by mid 2007.

It is anticipated that the Adare Hospital and Clinic will be open and fully operational by the end of 2007, pending planning permission,

Recent surveys have shown that Limerick and the Mid West region have the highest number of people with private health insurance in the country. And, the medical card coverage in the Mid West, at approximately 32 per cent of the population, is one of the lowest figures nationally.

Therefore Minister of State at the Department of Health, Tim O’Malley said that “the addition of such a magnificent facility will improve the whole health infrastructure throughout Limerick and its environs”.

And he added that it will ease the burden on the Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle and free up more beds for public patients.

This comes at a time when the A and E overcrowding crisis at the Regional Hospital is getting progressively worse, with 22 patients waiting on trolleys this Tuesday and nurses unable to cope with staff shortages.

Initially, the 100 million euro capital investment programme will involve the development of a 100 bed hospital with six operating theatres and two interventional radiology suites. In addition, there will be 30 consultant suites and state of the art diagnostic and treatment facilities. A total of 380 jobs will be created at the new hospital and clinic with a payroll of 24 million euro.

Facilities at the Adare Hospital and Clinic, which is to be located on a 23 acre site on the grounds of the Manor, will include a Day Surgery Centre and an Emergency Service for non-critical patients. There will also be a state of the art Cardiac Catherisation Suite, an Interventional Radiology Suite, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and CAT Scanning facilities. A full range of key treatments will also be offered.

Minister O’Malley said: “Upon its completion, and upon the completion of the Blackberry Park facility, Limerick will have three state-of-the-art private medical facilities, all of which will contribute greatly to an easing of the pressure on our public facilities. There may be some who will carp and complain about the private nature of the enterprise, but that group is becoming smaller and smaller as people realise that ideology has no place in health and the treatment of the ill. All that concerns the Tanaiste and myself is that our system gets better for the patients each and every day,” he said.

A native of New York, Mr Kane has owned the Adare Manor hotel since 1987. Speaking at the launch, he said that the steering committee conducted an extensive review of the needs of the area when developing the Adare Manor Master Plan in 2002 “and it soon became clear that there is a major need for additional medical facilities in the mid west region”.

Members of the Adare Hospital and Clinic Steering Committee include Dr Ed Walsh as chairperson, who is also president emeritus, at the University of Limerick; and Prof Eric Masterson, orthopaedic consultant, Croom Hospital; who chairs the Medical Advisory Group.

Commenting on the plans for Adare Hospital and Clinic, Dr Walsh said that such “advanced medical facilities are so vital to the well-being of the community and its future economic development”.

And he said that the “scale and sophistication of its plans” are reflected in “the distinguished international membership of the Steering Committee that I am honoured to chair”.

Details were also announced this week of the Adare Medical Research Foundation, a charitable organisation which is being established in conjunction with the hospital.

The Foundation will provide financial support for the provision of medical treatment and care for certain selected individuals and groups who have special needs, not otherwise catered for in the community.

VIVAS Health also announced that it will be the first health insurer to cover the facility.

All the updates were taken from http://www.limerickpost.ie.
As regards any greenbelt, it looks like when Munster Rugby build their new training facilities it will be between UL and the Parkway, destroying what (at least to me) seems to be the logical place for a greenbelt, failing that it would make sense to at least establish one between UL and Annacotty. The county council seem to be milking the boundary area for as much as they can, perhaps they feel they are certain to lose these areas and need to make some profit?

I’m glad to see the ESB site on the riverfront is coming up for sale, this could be the site for a landmark building, really bringing the riverfront together.

Plans for new greyhound stadium on track
by John O’Shaughnessy
Limerick is promised a similar amenity to Cork’s in 2007.

PLANS for Limerick’s new state-of-the-art greyhound stadium, close to Coonagh Cross, are very much on track with completion date set for 2007.

Peter Franklin, public relations officer for Bord na gCon, told the Limerick Post this week that the design team is now in place.

When questioned on the future of the Markets Field, the home of greyhound racing in Limerick since 1937, Mr Franklin said that nothing had yet been decided.

In the meantime, a number of other sporting organisations in the city are keeping a watching brief, as are residents in the Garryowen area and members of the City Council.

But the Limerick Post has been informed that a Limerick-born entrepreneur has also been monitoring developments with a suggestion that he would be prepared to buy the centrally located property and hand it back to the people of the city as a public amenity.

Meanwhile Bob Shanahan, of Ashbrook, and a leading member of the influential Limerick and Clare Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association, said their members were delighted with confirmation of completion date for the new stadium.

“We have waited a long, long time for our new track. The Markets Field has outlived its usefulness and it is good that we will soon be able to compete with other stadia, like Curraheen Park in Cork, Shelbourne and Harold’s Cross in Dublin, as well as Galway and Waterford.”

Mr Franklin said that surveys had been carried out on the 11 acre site, located close to the Two Mile Inn Hotel, and that the design team had studied all the options available.

“The land straddles the Limerick/Clare border and will benefit from the new tunnel and road networks. It will be very accessible from counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Clare and Galway. An application will shortly be made for full planning permission.”

He said that the Limerick stadium would be similar to that at Curraheen Park, which has proved to be an unqualified success since it opened some years ago.

According to Mr Shanahan: “The Mid West is the centre of the greyhound industry and not only will the new track be of major importance to all those associated with the industry, but the region as a whole will benefit. People travel from all over Munster to attend Curraheen Park where the facilities are excellent. A night at the dogs is the best possible entertainment. In Cork, and other venues, patrons can sit down in comfort, enjoy a four course meal and lay their bets without moving away from their tables. It is ideal for parties and corporate entertainment. The Markets Field has no such amenities and we have suffered as a result.”

Bord na gCon recently invested 500,000 euro in carrying out improvements at the Markets Field, a move welcomed by Shanahan.

“Something had to be done at the venue in the way of creature comforts, otherwise we would all have been losers while awaiting completion of the new stadium. We would not see it as money wasted.”

New shopping centre planned for Annacotty
Exclusive by John O’Shaughnessy
A MULTI-million euro shopping centre and retail park, with provision for over 600 car park spaces, is earmarked for Annacotty, and in the words of one Limerick auctioneer, could, if permission is granted, “completely transform the area”.

Glenabbey Property Limited has applied to Limerick County Council for permission to develop their site at Walkers Road, Annacotty, on the corner of the Dublin Road roundabout and which leads into Castletroy College.

The land in question is also within 100 yards of the newly built Newtown Shopping Centre.

The site is principally bound by the N7 to the north; Walkers Road to the south; a new link road to the west connecting the Annacotty roundabout to Walkers Road; and by detached residential dwellings to the east.

The proposed development will consist of the provision of a two storey/part three storey (i.e, including mezzanine level) building with a gross floor space of 11,290 sq m comprising internally ground floor level (travelator lobby.atrium) and partially enclosed car parking for 381 cars;first floor.store level of 9,717 sq m (net retail floor space of 5,309 sq m convenience floorspace and comparison floorspace of 2,848 sq m, including licensed sales area and comparison floorspace of 2,461 sq m; bulk storage 2,194 sq m, enclosed service yard and loading dock, 1,775 sq.m.

Also sought is the provision of one new pedestrian and vehicular access point, including alterations to the roundabout to the south west of the site from a four-arm 320 metre ICD roundabout to a five-arm 46 metre ICD roundabout, changes in level and all other associated site excavation and site development works.

The Castletroy/Annacotty side of town has seen major changes over the last decade, with a population now in excess of 20,000.

Royal to be cinema again

By Marie Hobbins

THE glamour of going to the cinema in the city centre and emerging after the film into the buzz of urban streets is set to become a reality for Limerick in the very near future.

Hopes are very high this week that the old Royal Cinema on Cecil Street will soon reopen as a filmhouse.

Hugely optimistic that a development plan submitted to the Arts Council is about to get the green light is arts officer with Limerick City Council, Sheila Deegan, who has confirmed to the Limerick Post that the reopened Royal will show films seven nights a week as well as arthouse films during the day.

“We will not be competing with the bigger cinemas. The Royal, which was part of the Athenaeum Building that now houses the City VEC, was originally used as a lecture hall, school of art and library before it was handed over to the Limerick Corporation with a proviso that they used it to advance education in Limerick.

“As a cinema it will be a two-screener, one cinema seating 120 people and the other seating 60. We will provide “world cinema” – we might, for example run a season of Polish or Russian films, or Limerick Film Archive screenings and it will also act as an impetus to local film makers who could access it. The cinema will become a revenue client of the Arts Council and the Irish Film Institute.”

The arts officer said that with the cinema utilising just half of the building there is potential for further development.

“Once we get the go-ahead from the Arts Council we are ready to progress onto site,” she said.

Delighted with progress of the project so far, Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon who is chairman of Limerick VEC, explained that while 1.2 million euro is required to relaunch the building as a cinema, an allocation of 750 000 euro from the Arts Council and 150,000 euro from Limerick City Council are in place.

“As well as having two cinemas, a lift, coffee shop and equipment will have to be installed but there are some lovely marble features in the interior which will be retained.

“I welcome the return of the cinema to Cecil Street, it will be a boon to the city and hopefully will encourage developers to provide more inner-city cinemas, theatres and concert venues.”

Not so enthusiastic in his reaction to the news is former owner of the Royal, city businessman, Seamus Flynn.

“There are 720 seats in the Royal, it has three dressing rooms, a kitchen and sitting room backstage as well as a full sound system. I think it’s a pity to limit it’s potential. It could accommodate 1,000 for a stand-up concert – it has exits to three streets. As it is we have less theatre capacity in Limerick than there is in Tralee and Ennis. I’m not too impressed that just half of the Royal will be used – I feel this is a grab money and spend it manoeuvre.”

With the disappearance of the familiar sight of queues outside Limerick city cinemas, the Belltable Film Club, founded by Declan McLoughlan over 20 years ago has been the only city centre cinema venue. While Mr McLoughlan’s film archive as well as other cultural/educational film will be shown in the Royal in the mornings and afternoons, the Belltable’s chairman, John Gleeson says: “At night we can be as varied in our programmes as we like – there is great scope for variety.”

Welcoming the development, Mayor Diarmuid Scully said that as the only cultural cinema outside of Dublin and Belfast it is “a great boost for Limerick”.

The mayor said that the new Royal Filmhouse could also act as a catalyst for further development of inner city cinemas.

“Perhaps the major Ellen Street/Michael Street development due to come on stream would also be an ideal location for a beautiful new city cinema,” he suggested.

Mr Flynn said that among the legendary stars who appeared at the old Athenaeum building were John McCormack, Percy French, the international soprano, Catherine Hayes, The Cranberries, Boyzone and Helen Shapiro. The first talking picture, the Jazz Singer which starred Al Jolson was shown there in 1930.