UP to 600 new homes could be delivered in the city’s Colbert Quarter under plans launched by the Land Development Agency (LDA), who announced a public consultation on the draft masterplan this week.
Between 500 and 600 social and affordable homes could be delivered at the St Joseph’s Hospital site, beside Colbert Station, an area that forms part of the Colbert Quarter area.
The draft masterplan for the 6.4-hectare site outlines the potential for the phased delivery of between 500 and 600 new affordable and social homes, 1,000 square metres of community space, and a significant amount of open green space, with the latter accounting for 35 per cent of the entire site area.
Proposals include that 70 per cent of the homes be made available as cost rental, 20 per cent for purchase, and 10 per cent as social housing.
The public consultation will run until December 15, and members of the public or any interested stakeholders can made submissions to the LDA until this date.
The project has involved consultation with HSE, Limerick City and County Council (LCCC), and Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ).
St Joseph’s Hospital, as well as other HSE uses on the site and the Tusla offices, are planned to remain uninterrupted in place if development goes ahead.
It is believed that an application for planning permission will be submitted in early 2025.
The St Joseph’s Hospital building itself is not included in the proposals, but there are plans to convert some of the other protected buildings on the site, including Elmhurst House and the Chapel, into new community spaces.
The planned homes will feature a mix of houses and apartments, with all ground floors units proposed to have their own front doors.
Houses will have their own front and back gardens and apartments will benefit from private balconies and shared communal open space.
John Coleman, chief executive of the LDA, said: “Colbert Quarter represents a fantastic opportunity to regenerate a large part of Limerick City and to deliver a high number of affordable and social homes. We are delighted to be progressing this strategic project and to have published our first masterplan proposals for one of Quarter’s key site.”
“One of main roles of the LDA is to deliver new homes on state-owned land, but this process must also involve creating new, well-served, well-connected, vibrant, and sustainable communities. The new draft masterplan for St Joseph’s Hospital contains ambitious proposals that will ultimately create new homes and a new community in what will be a great place to live, work, and visit,” he said.
The public consultation will run until 5pm on December 15 on ColbertQuarter.ie.
