Limerick improvement projects

Glenomra

mart 23 wrote: »

There is a tender on e-tenders for demolition work in the Opera center.

Thanks for the information. Important step imo. As a matter of interest when do you think actual demolition is likely to start and how long do you expect it to take. Interested in the project but not well informed on the construction process..

Cookiemunster

mart 23 wrote: »

There is a tender on e-tenders for demolition work in the Opera center.

It's only a PIN (Public Information Notice). The actual tender hasn't been issued yet. That's due by the end of the month according to the PIN.

Glenomra wrote: »

Thanks for the information. Important step imo. As a matter of interest when do you think actual demolition is likely to start and how long do you expect it to take. Interested in the project but not well informed on the construction process..

Late Q3 or Q4 is the most likely start time. Work will probably take around a year, so it'll be late 2021 or even 2022 before construction could start. The timeline will be clearer once the full tender is published.

Construction is due to be done in two phases. The 14 storey block at Bank Place and the new library are due to be done in Phase 1 and then the other office blocks and the aparthotel are to be Phase 2. This won't begin until Phase 1 is complete.

Glenomra

Cookiemunster wrote: »

It's only a PIN (Public Information Notice). The actual tender hasn't been issued yet. That's due by the end of the month according to the PIN.



Late Q3 or Q4 is the most likely start time. Work will probably take around a year, so it'll be late 2021 or even 2022 before construction could start.

That's due in two phases. The 14 storey block at Bank Place and the new library are due to be done in Phase 1 and then the other office blocks and the aparthotel are to be Phase 2. This won't begin until Phase 1 is complete.

Thanks. I think that that type of information is of real benefit to many posters. Helps us to realise that this vital project is moving gradually towards completion.

Mc Love

Who knows COVID19 might have an impact on it's start dates as well. Should be plenty of labour about though

dominatinMC

Mc Love wrote: »

Who knows COVID19 might have an impact on it's start dates as well. Should be plenty of labour about though

But will there be the capital to fund it...has full funding been secured already? Probably be hard to come by once this crisis is over..

Cookiemunster

dominatinMC wrote: »

But will there be the capital to fund it...has full funding been secured already? Probably be hard to come by once this crisis is over..

The full €170m was secured from two loans from the EIB and the Council of Europe Development Bank.

dominatinMC

Cookiemunster wrote: »

The full €170m was secured from two loans from the EIB and the Council of Europe Development Bank.

Ah fair enough, that's brilliant.

rebs23

Cookiemunster wrote: »

The full €170m was secured from two loans from the EIB and the Council of Europe Development Bank.

That's a facility that hasn't been drawn down and will need a reassessment at draw down stage, scope change, cost changes, etc.
Given the market collapse in office valuations (that is unlikely to recover for years), the amount pumped into the Gardens (still not fully occupied or let as Nordic are trying to lease out the space now instead of L.2030) & the amount of vacant office space in Limerick this project needs a re-assessment and that's putting it mildly.
Lets be honest there are unfinished public housing estates in Limerick that have been left in a deplorable state by the Council. The same Council instead of spending their money regenerating and finishing off the regeneration projects as promised in these estates have spent the regeneration funding buying sites for offices and spending over €30 Million on a half empty office block. It's mad stuff.

keane2097

Always seemed like a huge missed opportunity to spend all that money building a load of offices. Seems nuts now the whole world is starting to enjoy working from home.

kilburn

Nothing stopping them going for change of use on some of the buildings to residential.

Then build some proper sized apartments and be an example of what can be done in Ireland but it's Limerick Council so forget that.

They spend money on things that they pat themselves on the back for and never maintain them.

Boardwalk dirty, covered in dog crap fag butts, chewing gum and illiterate morons grafitt, ffs paint it every now and then.

Limerick smarter travel Canal could be used much better fix the lights and cut the bloody trees which started as weeds away.

I remember when the park was built on Clancy strand as a kid there were very few weeds etc beside, the weeds have grown into a bloody forest now.

Mc Love

the civic trust were out cleaning the boardwalk not so long ago and the river walk on the otherside.

Cookiemunster

rebs23 wrote: »

That's a facility that hasn't been drawn down and will need a reassessment at draw down stage, scope change, cost changes, etc.
Given the market collapse in office valuations (that is unlikely to recover for years), the amount pumped into the Gardens (still not fully occupied or let as Nordic are trying to lease out the space now instead of L.2030) & the amount of vacant office space in Limerick this project needs a re-assessment and that's putting it mildly.
Lets be honest there are unfinished public housing estates in Limerick that have been left in a deplorable state by the Council. The same Council instead of spending their money regenerating and finishing off the regeneration projects as promised in these estates have spent the regeneration funding buying sites for offices and spending over €30 Million on a half empty office block. It's mad stuff.

Yet just before the lockdown Robert Butler was about to begin demolition on the old ESB building on Bishops Quay so he could build an office block. There must have been some sort of demand there.

And the OPW have said that Revenue will move from River House to the Opera development as River House is end of life, so there is already a large tenant lined up.

Also it'll take years to build the Opera development (4-5 years for phase one and 5-8 years for phase two) so there's plenty of time for the market to rebound.

rebs23

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Yet just before the lockdown Robert Butler was about to begin demolition on the old ESB building on Bishops Quay so he could build an office block. There must have been some sort of demand there.

And the OPW have said that Revenue will move from River House to the Opera development as River House is end of life, so there is already a large tenant lined up.

Also it'll take years to build the Opera development (4-5 years for phase one and 5-8 years for phase two) so there's plenty of time for the market to rebound.

We all love to see development so maybe you're right. Who knows, after all of this is over it will be interesting to see which projects will proceed.

Mc Love

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Yet just before the lockdown Robert Butler was about to begin demolition on the old ESB building on Bishops Quay so he could build an office block. There must have been some sort of demand there.

And the OPW have said that Revenue will move from River House to the Opera development as River House is end of life, so there is already a large tenant lined up.

Also it'll take years to build the Opera development (4-5 years for phase one and 5-8 years for phase two) so there's plenty of time for the market to rebound.

Conack Construction had moved in before the lockdown

mitresize5

Retail in city centres is dying, not just in Limerick but a world wide trend.

The only hope for Limerick is to build office space and then attract the tenants. No point trying to attract tenants if they have no place to go.

While its a noble cause finishing off the regeneration of some estates is not going to bring the region forward as much as building up a cohort of professional companies in the city centre. And to be fair most of the estates have had huge amount of investments and are very different places to the way they were 10 years ago.

johnnyryan89

mitresize5 wrote: »

While its a noble cause finishing off the regeneration of some estates is not going to bring the region forward as much as building up a cohort of professional companies in the city centre. And to be fair most of the estates have had huge amount of investments and are very different places to the way they were 10 years ago.

As far as St Mary's Park goes they can shove their regeneration where the sun doesn't shine. The place always had a bad rep and a rough look but it wasn't half as bad or dirty back at the height of the feud. Since they came in with all their talk of improving places they've actually made it 10x worse.

Mc Love

mitresize5 wrote: »

Retail in city centres is dying, not just in Limerick but a world wide trend.

The only hope for Limerick is to build office space and then attract the tenants. No point trying to attract tenants if they have no place to go.

While its a noble cause finishing off the regeneration of some estates is not going to bring the region forward as much as building up a cohort of professional companies in the city centre. And to be fair most of the estates have had huge amount of investments and are very different places to the way they were 10 years ago.

And where are all the people in these office spaces live? There has to be somewhere for them to live in the city

Cookiemunster

Mc Love wrote: »

And where are all the people in these office spaces live? There has to be somewhere for them to live in the city

The LDA plan for around Colbert Station is to provide 10000 homes if successful. Even it we only get 20% of that it would be a game changer for the city center.

bazz26

I'd say a lot of this stuff will be put on hold for a while if not indefinitely, we haven't even seen the post Covid-19 effects on the economy yet.

mdmix

mitresize5 wrote: »

Retail in city centres is dying, not just in Limerick but a world wide trend.

The only hope for Limerick is to build office space and then attract the tenants. No point trying to attract tenants if they have no place to go.

While its a noble cause finishing off the regeneration of some estates is not going to bring the region forward as much as building up a cohort of professional companies in the city centre. And to be fair most of the estates have had huge amount of investments and are very different places to the way they were 10 years ago.

some people in limerick have a weird sort of Stockholm syndrome where they think what's going on is somehow "normal". yes retail is declining in cities, but no, what's happening in limerick cannot be written off as part of a trend. the decline in retail is just one of the many issues the city faces. the city is not well maintained and is not easy to use, unless you have a car. If you do have a car, its still not as easy to use as retail parks outside the city. limerick council are fighting an un-winnable battle against the likes of the cresent to everyone else's expense. Unless there is a sharp change in how the city is run, we are in for at least 5 years of decline

lazyman

The Canal Bank development has been refused planning permission according to a lot of people on twitter for environmental reasons

Cookiemunster

lazyman wrote: »

The Canal Bank development has been refused planning permission according to a lot of people on twitter for environmental reasons

Yup, permission refused. http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/306541.htm

Poxyshamrock

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Yup, permission refused. http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/306541.htm

Kinda glad to be honest. Houses and apartments are much needed but the scheme itself was poor. It would have aged terribly, and quickly.

mdmix

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Kinda glad to be honest. Houses and apartments are much needed but the scheme itself was poor. It would have aged terribly, and quickly.

personally I though this was fine, on par with grove island apartments, which is a respectable place

mastershake

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Kinda glad to be honest. Houses and apartments are much needed but the scheme itself was poor. It would have aged terribly, and quickly.

Have you actually seen the proposed development? It is exactly the type of high density development needed in this area. Currently the site is a wasteland/ brownfield site in a prime area close to the city. Hopefully the Ecology report can be submitted as art of any new planning application.

Mc Love

Road traffic would have been a nightmare but hopefully it would convince people to either take the bus or cycle. Rumour has it that UL want the bus corridor on Clare St/Dublin Rd too. Would be amzing if they used the canal though

phog

Mc Love wrote: »

Road traffic would have been a nightmare but hopefully it would convince people to either take the bus or cycle. Rumour has it that UL want the bus corridor on Clare St/Dublin Rd too. Would be amzing if they used the canal though

Build the Northern Distributor Road and you'd remove a huge quantity of vehicles from East Clare arriving into Corbally

Rumour has it that UL want the bus corridor on Clare St/Dublin Rd too

That's a laugh, they haven't one piece of a bus corridor within their own complex. On a busy evening it can longer to get out of UL then get into town

Mc Love

Build the LNDR and you would get a lot more cars coming into the city, as it would pave the way for more housing developments along the route. We want to encourage people to live in the city, not outside it.

phog

Mc Love wrote: »

Build the LNDR and you would get a lot more cars coming into the city, as it would pave the way for more housing developments along the route. We want to encourage people to live in the city, not outside it.

Building a road does not in itself allow for the building of houses.

Who's we?

source

Mc Love wrote: »

Build the LNDR and you would get a lot more cars coming into the city, as it would pave the way for more housing developments along the route. We want to encourage people to live in the city, not outside it.

Building the LNDR would make the city centre a more desirable place to live by allowing the city to reroute a large portion of the traffic currently using the city as a through road.