LIMERICK CITY NORTH representative, Cllr Brian Leddin has called for a Tall Buildings Strategy to be developed for Limerick City.
Citing the ambitious National Planning Framework growth projections for the city, the Green Party councillor noted, “Taller buildings can provide density and can contribute to the compact growth of the city centre.”
But the Green Party General Election candidate believes the suitability of locations for such developments in the city would need to be considered “strategically”. “Rather than dotting them around the city without regard to sensible planning principles and the architectural context,” he said.
Pointing out that many local authorities in the UK have tall buildings strategies, the councillor continued, “we need to give certainty to developers, heritage groups, and other interested parties by considering where it is appropriate to have taller buildings. A lack of a clear policy means that every proposal is contested and this is resulting in delays”.
The Green Party Councillor, who was also a member of LiveableLimerick and An Taisce, says his own view would be the protection of Limerick’s Georgian and Medieval streetscapes, restricting the development of taller buildings to other parts of the city.
“My own view is that we should protect the streetscape of the Georgian and Medieval areas of the city, and restrict taller buildings to the riverfront and perhaps former industrial sites like the lands around Colbert station earmarked by the Land Development Agency”, he concluded, “but ultimately this decision is best made by experts in partnership with robust public consultation and the various heritage groups in the city”.
