80-acre Delmege Estate back on market
PROPOSALS by a group of Limerick investors for an 80-acre landbank at the former Delmege Estate in Moyross, have fallen foul of the banking crisis.
Last year, the group, headed by entrepreneur Michael Daly, signed contracts for the site, subject to planning permission, and announced it was their intention to develop an industrial park and create hundreds of jobs for the people of Moyross.
However, Michael Daly, who headed the consortium, this week told the Limerick Post that the world had changed a lot in the interim and that proposals had been dropped.
The site in question was in the headlines a few weeks ago when the body of murder victim Lee Slattery, was discovered in a shallow grave there.
The Delmege Estate, a short distance from Watch House Cross, had been owned by deceased Limerick solicitor, James Lyons.
Said Mr Daly: “Yes, we had definite plans for the site and we put a lot of money into preparatory work. There was tremendous excitement when news first broke, and it gave great hope to the local population.
“In fact, one of our proposals was for a rail stop. Now that the Limerick-Ennis-Galway rail line has opened, a train stop off at Moyross would have been of great convenience to locals”.
The Fordmount Group, which Mr Daly once headed, was not involved in the consortium involved in negotiations for the historic Delmege Estate, which has been lying idle for over a decade.
Limerick auctioneer Pat Kearney, who had been the selling agent, said this Wednesday it was unfortunate that things had not worked out.
“Mr Daly is a man of great vision and I have no doubt that had the economy not taken a downturn, the Delmege Park venture would have been a great success.
“It had been welcomed by local groups, and, in fact, talks had already been entered into with business people who were serious in their intentions to occupy units there. Eighty-acres is a large tract of land and a lot could have been done with it”.
