THREE visions of the future for a key Limerick City site have been published by Limerick City and County Council.
Options for the future of the Arthur’s Quay area have been published by the Council, with the most dramatic of the plans calling for the demolition of the long-idle tourist office, as well as the former Sarsfield House tax office.
As part of one of the options published by the Council, the area currently occupied by Sarsfield House would be incorporated into Arthur’s Quay Park, while the existing Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre would be extended to enable part of the building to be redeveloped.
An extension of Arthur’s Quay would see more retail added to the shopping centre, with additional apartments upstairs overlooking the park.
The closure of Honan’s Quay and the development of University of Limerick’s city campus with access to the waterfront also form part of these plans.
One of the less radical options for the redevelopment of the area would see significant a investment into the public realm of the area to create a more active area that would engage better with the waterfront.
The UL city campus would be developed under this option, benefitting from the public realm enhancements, with no concrete plans relating to the former tourist office in Arthur’s Quay Park.
As part of this option, Sarsfield House would still be removed, with the site being given over for use as green space for the public to enjoy, while Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre would remain unchanged.
The third option, according to the Council, leans in the direction of ‘business as usual’ with no changes made to the public realm or any of the buildings in the area.
The plans are now open to the public to view and have their say, with a public consultation running until November 1.
A drop-in event will take place so people can engage with the plans and have their say on October 17 between 1pm and 7pm at the Citizen Innovation Lab in the UL City Campus on Sarsfield Street.
The Council has said that the “‘do nothing’ approach will not necessarily harm Limerick’s rich heritage, but it will also do nothing to enhance it”.
