So what are YOUR ideas to revive Limerick?

CatFromHue

liammur wrote: »

Could it be an inferiority complex? Clonmel can get one, why can't we sort of thing.

I couldn't care less about it, would much prefer to see a Google/Facebook etc move in.

I don't know to be honest. I did go to UL and did my Co-Op in Shannon so was living in the city to commute out. This was 04/05, but I do remember my housemates at the time talking about M&S.

I live in Dublin now and have one about 3mins drive away and I very very very rarely go there, to the point that it could be years since I was last there. It's expensive and alot of the ready made meals are pretty unhealthy.

What I was going to post here was a business incubation facility similar to DCU Invent. I've just been looking at the UL website and one actually opened there in Nov 2011 which is both exciting and could bring alot to the area. It's called Nexus Innovation, http://www.nexusinnovation.ie/

http://www.nexusinnovation.ie/our-news/17-new-jobs-as-start-up-company-imosphere-set-up-at-ul.html.
http://www.nexusinnovation.ie/our-news/new-silicon-valley-start-up-moves-to-nexus-ul.html

Silentcorner

liammur wrote: »

Even though my background is in economics and finance, it shouldn't have taken someone of my calibre to notice than the region was in danger and being totally neglected. O Dea failed and he knows it.
If anyone wants proof, all they need do is look at the number of companies that moved into Galway/Cork/Dublin since 1997. Go to the IDA website. Then look at what Limerick got.

Unfortunately, it's not negative on my part, it's reality. Go to Cork/Dublin/Galway and you won't see shop windows boarded up everywhere. The simple question is...why?

I read only recently 20% of Cork City stores are unoccupied, unfortunately you do display a lot of negativity, something some Limerick people do really well

Bad planning and poor local government is a nationwide problem, at lot of regional towns, in fact most of them, have been destroyed by out of town shopping centres, Limerick is the biggest and most obvious case of this

I believe that for this city to prosper again, and I believe it will, scratch beneath the surface in Limerick and you will see a lot of work being done by private citizens to improve the city, we need to remove the city from the grip of the Troika ( by which I mean FF/FG/Lab )

Bear in mind that this city has been vastly improved over the last 20 years, think back to old Henry St, old Bedford rd, old Thomas St, old Shannon St, and more besides ( UL & LIT ), the city and wider region always scored high in personal wealth surveys, despite this it is home to numerous unemployment blackspots, how does this happen, it is not caused by a recession, what are the social consequences of these blackspots, we all probably know.

The private sector is rising to the challenge ( think of our new stadiums ), the private citizens are responding ( think Local heroes, Tidy Towns effort ) wouldn't it be great if we were the centre of a political revival in this country, think of how proud we would be if in the next elections we tossed out the Troika!!

adaminho

ninty9er wrote: »

BMW tax breaks are ending soon, I agree on the crescent, I was making the point that it a city venue essentially. The city doesn't start at the Locke and end at Punch's Cross

The problem is that at the moment it actually does! The crescent is in the county and all rates collected there go towards the county and not the city. Also rates there are lower than the city so stores find it cheaper to set up in the crescent than the city. Alot of the problem is that these big shopping centers were built just outside the city boundarys. Ballysimon, Coonagh, Crescent, Westbury are all outside the city boundary.

Kess73

CatFromHue wrote: »

Why do Limerick people want a Marks and Spencers so bad?

Is it the clothes or the food?

Jobs. A big retailer will create a good number of direct jobs, and if it is an anchor of a centre, then it can attratc other retailers into an area.

zulutango

Kess73 wrote: »

Jobs. A big retailer will create a good number of direct jobs, and if it is an anchor of a centre, then it can attratc other retailers into an area.

It's a very simplistic approach, in my opinion. Footfalls may increase in the short term because of the novelty of a shiny new store coming to the city, but in the middle to long term it's unlikely to serve the city well. The only long term solution is to get people living in the city centre and they will create the markets for retailers. This idea that in order for Limerick City to thrive we need big name anchor tenants and fancy shopping centres to draw in people from all around the region to shop in the city is incredibly short-sighted and flawed, and can cause more harm than good in the long term.

Kess73

zulutango wrote: »

It's a very simplistic approach, in my opinion. Footfalls may increase in the short term because of the novelty of a shiny new store coming to the city, but in the middle to long term it's unlikely to serve the city well. The only long term solution is to get people living in the city centre and they will create the markets for retailers. This idea that in order for Limerick City to thrive we need big name anchor tenants and fancy shopping centres to draw in people from all around the region to shop in the city is incredibly short-sighted and flawed, and can cause more harm than good in the long term.

Would only be a simplistic approach if I had suggested it as being the cure for Limerick city's many many problems.:) All I did was answer a question about why a person or persons might want to see M&S come to Limerick, be it city or county.

Have no idea how you took what I said as being my solution to the city centre being what it is.


Getting large retailers into the city is indeed part of the solution to turning Limerick from a third rate city with delusions of being a modern city into an actual modern city with amenities/facilities etc to rival other modern cities, but it is far from being the be all and end all of the solution.

You are dead right to say that it, on it's own, would only be a short term boost as the city centre has nothing really to offer the people that would come in to see the new store that they cannot get to a higher standard in the outskirts of the city or by taking a short drive to the likes of Cork.

zulutango

Apologies, Kess. I didn't quite mean to imply that this was your thinking on the issue. But it's a point that is too often made, especially by those in power, and is rarely challenged. I appreciate from reading your other posts relating to Limerick that your ideas are far more advanced!

Kess73

zulutango wrote: »

Apologies, Kess. I didn't quite mean to imply that this was your thinking on the issue. But it's a point that is too often made, especially by those in power, and is rarely challenged. I appreciate from reading your other posts relating to Limerick that your ideas are far more advanced!

No need to offer an apology as challenging an opinion or simply passing comment on an opinion can spark debate, and my experience is that great ideas can often come from one person's pov on what another is saying.

marienbad

Unified Local Authority including sections of Clare, jobs jobs jobs - and all the rest will follow . Until then everything else is just window dressing and may even be covering up the problem.

liammur

zulutango wrote: »

Apologies, Kess. I didn't quite mean to imply that this was your thinking on the issue. But it's a point that is too often made, especially by those in power, and is rarely challenged. I appreciate from reading your other posts relating to Limerick that your ideas are far more advanced!

Yes, you are both right. An upmarket store of course would be welcome but as you point out it's far from the answer. My fear would be that the IDA will soon struggle to get jobs into the country as a serious worldwide recession looks imminent, and this region will have missed out.
Hopefully that won't be the case.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

It's the reputation given to the city by the scumbag minority. All the rest of the country hear of are the violence and crime printed in the tabloids.

Some form of compulsory euthanasia of all the residents of moyross and southill, and their friends and associates.

Then these areas can be razed to the ground and rebuilt to attract new investment into this great city.

ZombieBride

The question I want answered is what would bring YOU into the city, what do YOU want from the city, once we find out the answer to these then we can either say were those things actually already exist or try and build them.

marienbad

ZombieBride wrote: »

The question I want answered is what would bring YOU into the city, what do YOU want from the city, once we find out the answer to these then we can either say were those things actually already exist or try and build them.

What individuals can actually bring to the city or want from the city has little relevance until we solve the governance and employments issues.

Just another talking shop without any clout otherwise and thus without relevance.

If individuals want to do something then lobby elected representativs relentlessly to solve the above issues and vote them out if there is no response.

ZombieBride

marienbad wrote: »

What individuals can actually bring to the city or want from the city has little relevance until we solve the governance and employments issues.

That's where you and I differ, as if we wait for the big wigs to fix our problems then we will be waiting a life time. Though if we as individuals set out for ourselves what we want from the city that we live in and achieve the minor goals that we set then other issues will also be aided and replaced.

I have mentioned this before but everyone can help, a community is not about the government, if we want jobs in the city then we need to spend money in the city, if we want entertainment in the city then we need to attend the events on offer or put on the events we want.

There is no big business going to come in swoop us up and carry us away like a mills and boon novel, we need to get off our asses and help ourselves out of this cycle of depression and resentment.

zulutango

marienbad wrote: »

What individuals can actually bring to the city or want from the city has little relevance until we solve the governance and employments issues.

Just another talking shop without any clout otherwise and thus without relevance.

If individuals want to do something then lobby elected representativs relentlessly to solve the above issues and vote them out if there is no response.

While I agree with you, ZombieBride's question is a good one. Our politicians should be clear on what their electorate want. If this forum is anything to go by, we're not even clear on that ourselves.

Johnny_BravoIII

a business incubation facility similar to DCU Invent

There are incubation centres in both UL & LIT. The LIT one is more established and seems to have a decent track record.
The local enterprise board had an excellent reputation. We will have to wait and see what becomes of the restructuring.

I'd like enterprise scheme in similar vein to the creative limerick arts spaces whereby for a nominal fee city centre retail units would be turned over to local start-ups for a limited period of time. It could possibly create an environment of enterprise & activity from which things might start to grow.

Also, I thing there needs to be a tourism plan for the city.
It strikes me that the lack of tourism is almost accepted as normal? There's so much potential.
Limerick is the perfect strategic location to be a stop-over location for west-coast travellers, it has an international airport, ample accommodation infrastructure, a decent weekend entertainment event.......etc?

In this regard, i'd see limerick as marketing itself as a "Gateway to the West"

goat2

limerick has the same problems as every other city in this country, and most towns.
it is down to the law to fix this problem.
this is why i say, ye have a great city, with alot to offer, dont be putting it down, put it up and it will rise up. but negative feed will only bring negativity to a beautiful place, and remember the county as a whole, it is beautiful, some beautiful countryside and towns and villages, limerick has and is all of these

zulutango

goat2 wrote: »

limerick has the same problems as every other city in this country, and most towns.
it is down to the law to fix this problem.
this is why i say, ye have a great city, with alot to offer, dont be putting it down, put it up and it will rise up. but negative feed will only bring negativity to a beautiful place, and remember the county as a whole, it is beautiful, some beautiful countryside and towns and villages, limerick has and is all of these

That's not true, I'm afraid. Limerick's problems are quite unique. The governance one is the single greatest issue (because every other issue stems from it) and other cities in Ireland don't have that, simply because they don't have three local authorities, with three plans, three sets of management, etc.

marienbad

zulutango wrote: »

That's not true, I'm afraid. Limerick's problems are quite unique. The governance one is the single greatest issue (because every other issue stems from it) and other cities in Ireland don't have that, simply because they don't have three local authorities, with three plans, three sets of management, etc.

and two of those authorities fleecing what is effectively the city to spend the money elsewhere and granting planning permission often knowingly to the detriment of the city but just not caring.

And a useless city authority most intrested in trips and expenses than solving real issues.

Until this is addressed everything else is window dressing.

liammur

marienbad wrote: »

and two of those authorities fleecing what is effectively the city to spend the money elsewhere and granting planning permission often knowingly to the detriment of the city but just not caring.

And a useless city authority most intrested in trips and expenses than solving real issues.

Until this is addressed everything else is window dressing.

I would agree with both yourself and JohnnyBravo.
Any local politician worth their salt would be banging on the doors of the IDA asking questions, the only one to do so is O Donnell. The only game in town here appears regeneration.

ninty9er

liammur wrote: »

I would agree with both yourself and JohnnyBravo.
Any local politician worth their salt would be banging on the doors of the IDA asking questions, the only one to do so is O Donnell. The only game in town here appears regeneration.

Not actually true, Jan has done and has committed to a follow up, and in fairness to her, she's the minister responsible for regeneration.

Posturing by telling people about it is simply a PR exercise. FFS, they're TDs, not time sheet managers

marienbad

ninty9er wrote: »

Not actually true, Jan has done and has committed to a follow up, and in fairness to her, she's the minister responsible for regeneration.

Posturing by telling people about it is simply a PR exercise. FFS, they're TDs, not time sheet managers

I am not sure what you mean here, if our td's were so good we might have got something during the height of the celtic tiger and not at the end of the queue when everywhere else was well underway and it took a spate of appalling crimes to finally get the message home .

What an irony that was - the actions of the scumbags and not the inaction of elected reps was the catalyst for regeneration , but alas yet again for poor Limerick just as the programme was starting the bottom fell out of the economy, and what are we left with ? A tunnel under the Shannon 20 years too late , A sewage treatment works that ran way over cost, an unfinished mortorway to Galway and a never started one to Cork.

Some representatives .

L.T.P.

I'd start by rounding up every councillor and T.D. that "represented" Limerick over the past 20 years, along with the town and county planners, dig a big hole, throw in said representatives and planners, fill in hole with cement.

A bloody good place to start..

gaf1983

L.T.P. wrote: »

I'd start by rounding up every councillor and T.D. that "represented" Limerick over the past 20 years, along with the town and county planners, dig a big hole, throw in said representatives and planners, fill in hole with cement.

A bloody good place to start..

Not really. The OP was asking for your ideas to revive Limerick. You've offered nothing in your above post.

liammur

marienbad wrote: »

I am not sure what you mean here, if our td's were so good we might have got something during the height of the celtic tiger and not at the end of the queue when everywhere else was well underway and it took a spate of appalling crimes to finally get the message home .

What an irony that was - the actions of the scumbags and not the inaction of elected reps was the catalyst for regeneration , but alas yet again for poor Limerick just as the programme was starting the bottom fell out of the economy, and what are we left with ? A tunnel under the Shannon 20 years too late , A sewage treatment works that ran way over cost, an unfinished mortorway to Galway and a never started one to Cork.

Some representatives .

Again an excellent post. Just a shame people like yourself aren't running the place.

seachto7

Can Shannon Industrial estate be "revived"? I guess a lot of business there could be dependent on how busy the airport is? Lots of online business could be located there, be used as a hub. A lot of them are in Dublin as it's easy to get and get out of. Could be great to wine and dine overseas clients with Bunratty, West Clare, Adare etc...

Kess73

seachto7 wrote: »

Can Shannon Industrial estate be "revived"? I guess a lot of business there could be dependent on how busy the airport is? Lots of online business could be located there, be used as a hub. A lot of them are in Dublin as it's easy to get and get out of. Could be great to wine and dine overseas clients with Bunratty, West Clare, Adare etc...

Same question could be asked of the Raheen industrial estate as there is a hell of a lot of big empty units in there now as well as lots of empty office space.

francis73

Ban smoking in the city centre, especially where the bus stops are by Dunnes. Fag butts everywhere, it's disgusting and thats coming from a smoker! Severe fines need to be handed out to litterers too. Zero tolerance approach to litter is needed. I feel that if the place looks good it makes people feel good. And for God sake do something with that opera site. Its depressing. Limerick needs a lot more civic awareness from its citizens!
Not sure about festivals and the like in Limerick, there's too much of an element in the city who would ruin it imo.

liammur

Kess73 wrote: »

Same question could be asked of the Raheen industrial estate as there is a hell of a lot of big empty units in there now as well as lots of empty office space.

You are so right, i'd say almost 30% are empty. Who used to be in the big old one with all the graffiti on it? SD boarded it up recently, it was 1 eyesore.

newkid ontheblock

Johnny_BravoIII wrote: »

There are incubation centres in both UL & LIT. The LIT one is more established and seems to have a decent track record.
The local enterprise board had an excellent reputation. We will have to wait and see what becomes of the restructuring.

Limerick is the perfect strategic location to be a stop-over location for west-coast travellers, it has an international airport, ample accommodation infrastructure, a decent weekend entertainment event.......etc?

In this regard, i'd see limerick as marketing itself as a "Gateway to the West"

I actually just started working at the incubation centre in LIT to develop a business for the mid west. There has been a lot of success. The past few years, most of the graduates of the program have gone on to develop businesses and jobs for the area. I've just read this full thread. You all certainly have interesting ideas and opinions. It's a really good thread.

I do believe in the individual helping the city. Perhaps after a few more months business training, I too will want to locate my business in the crescent! But currently, I would like to see more businesses in the city centre. I am researching a couple of different ideas, but am interested to know what the people in the city would like to see. Suggestions welcome, for the types of small-medium businesses you would like to see. What do you think would good down well in the city center? You never know, it might become a reality! Having lived in the city center for the past 5 years, I know what I want to see. However I am always up for hearing from others on their ideas to revive the city.