THE Government announced last week, that they would be providing funding for the purchase of a strategic development site in Limerick City for regeneration.
Phil Hogan T.D., Minister for Environment, Community & Local Government said, “The redevelopment opportunities for this site are immense and will positively impact on the lives of the people and businesses in the city centre”.
Limerick City Council and the Limerick Regeneration Agencies, who were instrumental in the purchase of the site, indicated that they are considering a range of new uses for the site including housing, civic, and commercial uses. “This site is of strategic importance for the regeneration of King’s Island, of the city centre, and of the wider city” the City Manager, Mr. Tom Mackey said, indicating that he saw this site as an important first step in the restoration of the residential and commercial functions within the city centre.
The site consists of 1.9 hectares between Michael, Ellen and Rutland/Patrick Street, in close proximity to the Hunt Museum, City Hall and the regeneration area of St. Mary’s Park/King’s Island. It’s redevelopment will be considered as part of the overall implementation plan for the Limerick Regeneration Programme and will seek to enhance the social, economic, and physical regeneration of the area. The site is currently unoccupied with many of the original buildings in relatively poor condition. The Minister for Finance, Mr. Michael Noonan T.D., a resident of the city, expressed his satisfaction with the announcement, adding
“I welcome the purchase of the old opera site by Limerick Regeneration from NAMA. This purchase will be a positive development for the Georgian Quarter in Limerick city. The regeneration of this site will turn this run down area into an area of vibrancy, which will improve the economic, social and cultural life of both the Georgian Quarter and the City as a whole.
I have worked very closely with Denis Brosnan, the Chairman of the Local Government Implementation Group to ensure the site was kept in public ownership. The risk was that a private developer could have acquired the site and it could have lain fallow for many years. The site can now be regenerated as part of the overall renewal of Limerick city.
I would like to thank the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for providing the funds to acquire this site. I have always believed that the concept of regeneration involves more than just the regeneration of city suburbs with social problems. One of the biggest regeneration challenges is the need to revitalise the city centre and to turn our city into a vibrant centre of social and cultural activities.”
Ministers Noonan and Hogan indicated that they would be working closely on the plans for the redevelopment and would be seeking the support of all public, private and philanthropic agencies working in Limerick City to ensure that the new development would be sustainable into the future. Minister Hogan concluded that “Regeneration is built on partnership – partnership with the community, with business and the public sector, and I intend to work closely with all partners including our colleagues in Shannon Development to see this project successfully delivered”.
