NEGOTIATIONS between Limerick City and County Council and a leading fashion brand looking to become the anchor tenant at the old Debenhams building in the city centre are now at an advanced stage.
The news broke at this Monday’s meeting of the Metropolitan District, following a call from Independent councillor Maria Donoghue for the owners of the site to expedite development for reuse.
And while referencing the old Debenhams site, which has remained empty since April 2020, Cllr Donoghue told the Council executive that there were other key sites around the city that it should be more “assertive” on.
The City West representative maintained that the local authority is missing opportunities to see the occupation of important buildings and spaces.
“I’m thinking specifically of the UL site at the former Dunnes Stores, and the building across from Brown Thomas – all commercial buildings which also have a residential component attached to them, if we were to sign them as such … We cannot let these remain vacant,” Cllr Donoghue insisted.
Issuing a call to action, the Independent councillor took the view that the Council should be helping the owners of these sites, including the recently-shuttered International Rugby Experience, with any difficulties “to get them over the line”.
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan seconded the motion and pointed to what she described as a derelict and vacant property crisis in Limerick City.
“Walking through Limerick City at the moment and seeing all the derelict and vacant properties, is quite shocking and stark,” Cllr O’Donovan said.
Independent councillor Ursula Gavan also supported Cllr O’Donoghue’s motion, saying that “we have so many empty buildings and sites and we need to engage with the developers and find out what is going on. We’re two years out from the Ryder Cup and our city centre is idle, it’s empty come six o’clock,” Cllr Gavan suggested.
“The lights are out and we need to be seen to do something sooner rather than later,” she added.
Cllr Shane Hickey-O’Mara (SD) deemed it “embarrassing” to welcome people to Limerick or to show them around. Councillors, he said, are inundated with calls from the public regarding the future of the former Debenhams site.
Head of Trade and Investment at the Council, Brendan Troy, explained that the local authority is in regular contact with the owners of the former Debenhams building. A recent letter received from the owners, he revealed, pointed to the project progressing and now reaching an exciting juncture in the design process.
“Over the past few months, the design team has been developing the design details with the aim of submitting the fire safety certificate, disabled access certificate, and commencement notice in the coming weeks. A contractor has now been appointed to undertake the works, and negotiations with a leading fashion brand as the anchor tenant are at an advanced stage,” Mr Troy said.
