RENEWED efforts are being made to link the Park Canal with the University of Limerick. The canal, awarded €3million from European funding some years ago for its upgrading, urgently requires remedial work to carry out dredging, eliminate stagnation and carry out work on the lock gates to restore the flow of water. It had been envisaged that the canal, earmarked as “the jewel in the crown of Limerick’s waterways,” would establish a viable transport link between the city and the University of Limerick.
Said Cllr Gerry McLoughlin: “There was a lot of talk about a water bus operating on the canal, of renewed fishing, boating and water sports, and while the city council has invested in quality work on the installation of infrastructure on the canal bank, there is no boating activity, either leisure or commercial that would provide transport to and from the university and beyond.
“We are spending money in other parts of the Shannon River, but here we have a natural amenity that would be of great benefit to the local community as well as tourists – the benefit to the city from cruisers from the Royal Canal would be hugely beneficial.
“A satisfactory restoration would pave the way for establishing a Viking project on Grove Island, which would be a major attraction”.
Welcoming confirmation that City Hall will shortly meet with Shannon Development and Waterways Ireland, (which has agreed to carry out a clean-up of the canal), Cllr McLoughlin said the time is now opportune for “establishing a link-up between King John’s Castle and the canal, which is in the middle of the city and so close to its medieval heart”.
Mayor Jim Long confirmed that the Park Canal is earmarked for further development.
“A report has been commissioned and I can tell you that there is a lot of goodwill towards the project – we want to link the canal up to UL.
“The canal project will not compromise the Howley’s Quay development – it will further enhance our Riverside city”.
