A €116m investment in Limerick City will see a “world class” waterfront development built facing the River Shannon, at the site of the former Cleeve’s Toffee factory.
The €73.40m development funded by the government’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), will see the iconic 10 acres site, identified to all by its tall red brick chimney, “become a major Riverside quarter, with residential, commercial, educational and cultural elements“, Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell told the Limerick Post.
The fund will also support the development of a €42.61m “Living Limerick City Centre Initiative” and other projects “to make the city centre a more attractive and vibrant place to live, work, invest in, create jobs, and visit“, Deputy O’Donnell said.
Connectivity projects, such as the regeneration of the city’s Georgian quarter, as well as new residential hubs and business developments, are to be realised with funding granted to Limerick City and County Council.
“Over €73m is to be invested in the World-Class Waterfront project for Limerick City, with nearly €43m for the Living Limerick City Centre initiative. The world-class waterfront project is about linking both sides of the Shannon river in Limerick City centre.”
“Bridges and public area works will address the need for additional pedestrian/cycling links alongside and over the Shannon,” he said.
The Living Georgian City programme will involve a focus on vacant and derelict Georgian buildings for residential, economic and employment opportunities.
It supports the development “of an innovation campus within the city centre to attract cutting-edge companies, start-ups, ‘Accelerators’ and other related entities”.
“This new funding from round 2 of the URDF follows on from funding of €9.68m in November 2018 for seven projects in Limerick City; ‘O’Connell Street’; ‘Digital Collaboration and Virtual Reality Centre’; ‘Worldclass Waterfront’; ‘Social and Economic Model’; ‘Living Georgian City Programme’; ‘Opera Project (Site enabling)’; ‘Digital District (Inner City Digital Hub).”
Deputy O’Donnell said the investment “will unlock the potential of Limerick City centre on both sides of the Shannon river, making the best use of available sites and the river itself“.
“We are about promoting sensible development and compact growth in our city centre. I commend the work of Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke TD, and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD in overseeing this administration of this unprecedented investment in urban regeneration and development,” he added.
Launched in November 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2040, the URDF “is about sensible, strategic and sustainable development that regenerates and rejuvenates our cities and large towns“.
“I know the work that has gone into planning and developing these transformative projects and I am eager to see their implementation which will benefit us all here in Limerick City. We are all very proud of Limerick and this serious level of government funding will have a significant impact on the future development of our great city,” Deputy O’Donnell said.
