A HIGH-profile housing development on the Ennis Road has seen considerable local objections lodged with council planners.
Tribeca Asset Management has applied to Limerick City and County Council to build 167 apartments on the site of the former Ardhú bar, located just off the North Circular Road, Ennis Road, and Roses Avenue.
The proposed development would see 167 apartments constructed in five new blocks, ranging from three storeys to five storeys in height.
Another existing seven-storey building on the site, that used to house the Clarion Suites Hotel, has been refurbished to provide 61 new apartments, with new tenants already in the process of moving in.
Now, over 20 objections have been raised by homeowners in the area with building density, traffic flow, and the provision of car parking spaces among the top concerns.
The Elms Residents Association submitted an objection, signed by 12 people living in the neighbouring estate, saying that the proposed 94 car parking spaces as part of the development aren’t sufficient and called for an electric gate to be provided to The Elms to restrict traffic flow to residents and their visitors only.
The residents of The Elms also had concerns about the density of the Ardhú development and called for the omission of block five, a three to five-storey unit.
Residents of neighbouring Cliftonville also raised concerns, stating that the new development would be “in no way sensitive” to the historical homes at Cliftonville, which were built in 1868.
Other objections also concerned the height of the buildings, the impact on privacy, and natural light.
Writing in support of the development was Limerick Chamber, who said that Ardhú plans would “help boost much needed worker housing supply”.
Chamber chief economist Seán Golden said in a letter that “the proposed development would be one of the first residential apartment buildings to be provided in Limerick City in the last two decades”.
“The Government’s Housing for All plan tasks the private sector with delivering homes at a large scale. To date, Limerick has seen a worryingly small amount of private sector activity in the city.”
Donal Mulcahy, owner of the nearby Woodfield House Hotel, also wrote to council planners expressing his support, but also raised concerns about the height of one of the blocks.
“The height of block two on the Ennis Road appears significantly tall, which we would have a level of concern about, considering the proximity to our site,” Mr Mulachy’s letter read.
Council planners are due to make a decision on the planning application later this month.
