Limerick improvement projects

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173515#Comment_120173515

Ok fairness enough but it was a commercial unit that was rotting for years and is now contributing to nearby commercial units.

Anyway I said single examples are pretty useless.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173497#Comment_120173497

Start leaving her at home.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120172908#Comment_120172908

Reread my post. If you are going to come at me with attitude at least understand what I wrote.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173058#Comment_120173058

I started off my career in Limerick city centre. It has changed massively in the last two decades. I’m projecting from now to where I think it will continue to decline. It’s not as if I’ve made up the concept of cities being hollowed out. You may think Limerick will buck the trend - as someone living in the suburbs with a fondness for Limerick I hope you are correct.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173609#Comment_120173609

I just reread it I don't think I was wrong. You think the city centre is being "hollowed out" and the removal of on street parking is hastening it.

My post wasn't really just directed at you either. It was as much directed at the general belief that the city is "dead" "on it's knees" etc.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173478#Comment_120173478

People love cars. People will always love cars.

lisasimpson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173497#Comment_120173497

Id agree with her. I walk ot drive quickly through there. Think improved train links with more frequency on the nenagh line especially would help the city centre to bring shoppers in. Just back from the crescent and its packed today. Need some decent shops in the centre back to make it attractive as a destination esp at weekends lunch and shopping Otherswise all diverting to the crescent

Brennans Row

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990567#Comment_119990567

Mixed Use Development at rear of 94 O’Connell Street (Glenthworth Street)

Layden Property Holdings Limited

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173990#Comment_120173990

The city is already very busy at times like weekend lunch.

"All" are not diverting to the Crescent.

Vanquished

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120173649#Comment_120173649

Well they can continue to love them but they need to understand and accept that they days of car dominance and unrestricted access to town and city centres are coming to an end. City centre residents are sick to death of motorists who choose to drive through the city centre being prioritised over those of us who live here, and have to put up with rubbish amenities because the Council were determined to allocate as much space as possible to traffic lanes and car parking.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120174359#Comment_120174359

Car Dominance. 🙄

There were cars driving through Limerick City decades before you moved there... but you still moved there. Now you want changes. Right.

I agree with you that the city centre shouldn't be a through road, but to think the city centre will thrive without car access is myopic.

phog

Cork city is the 17th (?) most congested city in the world yet it is far busier than Limerick city and it has more retail units than our main streets.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177430#Comment_120177430

Who would have thought a bigger city than Limerick would be busier and have more shops 🤣

Cork also has a much better public transport system with a proper commuter train service and a city bus service that stretches out beyond the old city limits. For instance they have 2 leap card zones and it's stupid we still don't have.

Cork is also pedestrianising areas and building cycle lanes to a greater extent than Limerick. Oliver Plunkett St. is pedestrian sometimes now and some streets off it fully given over to hospitality businesses.

Vanquished

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177460#Comment_120177460

Yep. Oliver Plunkett Street has been a pedestrianised street from 11am (post delivery time) until 6 or 7 in the evenings since around the mid 2000s. I think taxis are allowed to access the street at night time. There are a number of shorter pedestrian streets linking off it to the main street also. Two more have been pedestrianised since Covid on the opposite side also. I.E. Oliver Plunkett Street towards South Mall.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177430#Comment_120177430

71st, not 17th.

However... Galway city is the 39th most congested city in the world yet it is far busier than Limerick city (95th) and it has more retail units than our main streets.

Vanquished

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177267#Comment_120177267

If you don't believe that Limerick city centre is car dominated then you either don't visit it often enough or don't take enough notice. Traffic is choking Limerick and the city centre is struggling to entice people in because the environment is unwelcoming and the streets are mostly unattractive. Most streets feature four lanes given over to vehicles. I.E. Two traffic lanes and two parking zones. The EPA air quality monitors also consistently show that pollution and particulate levels in the city centre are well above what is considered safe.

Also, I didn't say that cars should be entirely removed from the city centre but they should be restricted. The long promised orbital route around the city centre (Henry Street, William St, Parnell St, Mallow St) needs to be implemented quickly.

Take a look at the attached photos from the last few weeks and see if you think our streets are dominated by cars.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177602#Comment_120177602

The little William St. thing is an absolute joke. Cars all over the path so people all over the road.

I think once O'Connell st. is done they should extend the work they done on Catherine St. up as far as Flannery's or the Pery and down Roches St. as well.

Thomas St. and Catherine St. should close on a Saturday too.

Saying the cars mean the city is "struggling to entice" people is just as much hyperbole as the no parking is killing the city stuff.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177543#Comment_120177543

Does Galway have more shops ?

I'll have to admit I am bias against Galway but I always find the whole amazing vibrant Galway thing to be a bit of a myth. Ide put it around the same as Limerick.

Cork is the one I love for a day out. Ide send a tourist there any day over Disneyland Ireland.

Red Silurian

I think a major issue with Limerick city isn't so much that it is dominated by the traffic coming into the city but more the traffic going through the city. Cars going between Corbally/Ardnacrusha and Raheen/Dooradoyle all have to use O'Connell Street. Likewise if you are going from Meelick to Castletroy you would use William Street. Moving this traffic away from the city would be a huge benefit

I was recently in California and the main street, or "downtown," in the city near the Googleplex has 3 lanes of traffic. That is 1 in each direction and a turning lane whose direction varies, with a limited 50% of the stretch also having parallel on-street parking. Footpaths are good and wide also. If you can't get parking on the street there are car parks on side streets. All free to use and never overly full

I think Limerick would benefit from such a model

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177734#Comment_120177734

First bit is spot on. We need a full 360 ring road and the tunnel should be free to encourage use. I live on the Northside and a good deal of the traffic I meet is people using Hassetts cross in all directions as a through road. They neither live or work in that area.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177766#Comment_120177766

Only the first part? Would you disagree with ample free parking in spots not far from O'Connell street?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177874#Comment_120177874

It's just I know nothing about California so couldn't really comment on if their road system would work here.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120177881#Comment_120177881

Does my description make sense though? For reference the city in question is Mountain View and has a population of 82,000, not dissimilar to Limerick at 90k although over about half our area so they probably used the space available for housing much more efficiently despite there being no high-rises for the obvious reason

pigtown

For the past number of years there has been a lot of concern that there was little development of new homes in the city centre but that seems to be changing. It’s very noticeable that a lot of Georgian buildings are being renovated with new apartments in the upper floors. There are also number of larger developments underway. Here is a roundup of some of the city centre apartment schemes in various stages of permission/construction. I’m sure there are more that I missed. There are also a number of student apartment schemes planned.

 

33/34 THOMAS STREET (beside Crew) – Part 8 planning requested

5 apartments in no. 33 with 8 in a new building at 34. New retail unit in no. 34 with a community space in the rear.

One of 2 demonstration sites being developed by the Council in order to encourage more redevelopments of protected Georgian buildings.

Almost guaranteed to be granted and developed given its status.

58 O’CONNELL STREET (Narrative 4 building) - Part 8 planning requested

5 apartments in no. 58 with 3 more in a new building to the rear. Retail unit being retained.

The second demonstration site. Includes a mansard roof style top floor apartment which some may have an issue with.

ARDHU APARTMENTS, ENNIS ROAD (former Ardhu Ryan hotel) – under construction

65ish apartments being developed in the long vacant building. A number of detached houses are also being built on the grounds.

1BQ BISHOP’S QUAY – under construction

Mixed use development including 9 storey office, 2 café/restaurants on Bishop’s Quay and 1 on Henry Street, and 35ish apartments

34-41 CATHERINE STREET – construction stalled?

Mixed use development including office and 24 apartments

OPERA SQUARE – under construction

Mixed use development including 16 apartments in restored Georgian buildings.

Also proposed is a 57 unit aparthotel which I imagine could be easily converted into actual apartments should the political will be there.

94 O’CONNELL STREET (former Bank of Ireland) – planning requested

24 apartments with ground floor retail unit and café

WINDMILL STREET/COGAN STREET – planning requested

29 apartments

Cookiemunster

Nothing has happened on the Catherine St site since at least last Spring. I'd say at this stage that it's dead in the water. Which is a real pity.

With respect to 58 O'Connell St, the roof of that building was removed and replaced with a flat roof sometime in the distant past, so adding a mansard roof apartment shouldn't be that big a deal.

You're stretching city center with the Ardhu though 😉 I'd add the Canal Bank development that's currently in the ABP SHD backlog. 363 apartments, 61 student rooms and 18 houses.

https://canalbanklimerick.com/

Red Silurian

Another 2 housing developments of interest is Gough Place on the road that connects Childers Road to Punches Cross opposite the lidl and on the Roxboro Road on the way into town opposite the bus Depot, both seem either occupied or ready to be occupied

The one at goughs place have solar panels on the pitched roofs facing North so presumably they're council owned.

lisasimpson

Grounds work has started on the site of the new bons across from the new educate together schools

adaminho

Also planing permission for the upstairs of the old Noels menswear on Wickham Street to convert it to apartments.

Poxyshamrock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179212#Comment_120179212

You can tell by the look of them they’re council houses. Why they always have to have flat or lean-to roofs is beyond me. Never get why social housing has to look like social housing.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179963#Comment_120179963

I presume it's to do with wedging as many units per sqft possible. Solar panels on the dark side of a roof is a good giveaway also

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120179963#Comment_120179963

Council houses don't always have flat or lean to roofs. The flat roof buildings in Gough Place are apartments (12 in total). It's quite unusual for apartment blocks not to have flat roofs. There is also a terrace of 5 normal pitched roof houses in the development. There are also recent council developments in Careys Rd, Roxboro Rd, Rathbane and Mulgrave St that are also a mixture of normal terraced houses and apartments. No lean to roofs. Aesthetically the could build something that's not another red brick building, but the roofs are not something I've ever taken any notice of.

The only development with lean to roofs I can think of is the Churchfield development in O'Malley Park and that actually looks pretty good aesthetically and is not red brick.