THE development of University of Limerick’s City Campus has hit a major snag following two objections to An Bord Pleanála.
Planning permission for the change of use of the former Dunnes Stores building on Sarsfield Street from retail to educational was granted by Limerick City and County Council in November, as part of the university’s plans to develop a city centre university campus.
Now, two separate appeals to University of Limerick’s (UL) plans have been lodged with the planning appeals board.
As part of the granted plans, UL sought permission to change the use of the existing building, opting to retain the building in its current form.
However, this has been the main cause of concern for one of the objections, according to the planning documents.
The objection letter points to the Limerick City and County Development Plan, which outlines the objective of creating a world-class waterfront in Limerick City, with the UL City Campus to form part of this under the expectation that UL would develop “a landmark tall building on this gateway site”.
The objector states that while they are in favour of the UL City Campus plans, that the university, by retaining the existing building, are failing to deliver on one of the key objectives of the city and county development plan.
Instead, the university should be “encouraged to deliver on the specific site objectives” in accordance with the city and county development plan, and “come forward with a planning application for a new landmark building”, the objector states.
Issues with flooding on the site and the planned discharge of foul water also formed part of the objection.
The second objection is made on the basis that UL had already started teaching classes from the city campus before the planning application was lodged, therefore arguing that the university should apply for retention permission, rather than change of use.
The objector also took issue with the mural that was painted on the building and the surrounding footpath area, saying that the mural is “so extensive and dominant that it should have been subjected to planning permission”.
“This mural not only covers almost 50 per cent of the existing elevations, but also extends onto the adjoining road surface. The application of paint over the existing road finish has changed the slip resistance … and made it unsuitable for use by pedestrians in inclement weather,” the planning documents say.
An Bord Pleanála are due to make a decision on the appeal by April 2024.
