Limerick improvement projects

apc

johnnyryan89 wrote: »

It's an urban park which is longer than it is wide.

Supposing the park was wider than it was long what would it be then

panda100

apc wrote:

Supposing the park was wider than it was long what would it be then

A non Linear park?

Townie_P

Vanquished wrote: »

Option E all the way. It gives us a much needed pedestrian space in the heart of the city. It also redistributes through traffic that has absolutely no business on O'Connell Street to a newly reconfigured southbound lane on Henry Street. A route that has capacity to handle the redirected traffic.

I'd second that

Vanquished

The Bishop's Quay application has been decided. The nature of the decision hasn't yet been posted but I'd be shocked if it wasn't conditional approval.

zulutango

Vanquished wrote: »

The Bishop's Quay application has been decided. The nature of the decision hasn't yet been posted but I'd be shocked if it wasn't conditional approval.

Agreed. I had a good look through the plans and didn't see any major grounds for not giving it permission. It isn't the most imaginative design, but that's not a planning issue.

Vanquished

zulutango wrote: »

Agreed. I had a good look through the plans and didn't see any major grounds for not giving it permission. It isn't the most imaginative design, but that's not a planning issue.

It's hardly the most eye-catching. It's a little featureless and boxy but at the same time I wouldn't consider it ugly either. If it comes to fruition it will transform a completely wasted and unproductive site bringing further new energy to the city centre.

It's a certainty to be appealed to An Bord Pleanala though!

wigsa100

I hate the terracotta coloured brick. It makes something new look like it's twenty years old immediately upon completion. A bit of modern glass or something creative wouldn't go astray in what is hardly a street full of architectural delights.

mart 23

The Project has been given conditional approval .

Cookiemunster

mart 23 wrote: »

The Project has been given conditional approval .

Any idea what the conditions are?

mart 23

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Any idea what the conditions are?

Sorry but I dont know as Im unable to open the files. Maybe some other poster here can find out.

flyingsnail

mart 23 wrote: »

Sorry but I dont know as Im unable to open the files. Maybe some other poster here can find out.

I had a quick look but the full set of conditions don't seem to be online yet.

dave 27

Anyone know where the conditions are yet? Are they online?

pigtown

They aren't online yet. Here's the link http://eplan.limerick.ie/AppFileRefDetails/16800/0

Just looking at the drawings there, the Bishop's Quay side will have two new restaurants and the coach-house on Henry Street will also become a cafe. wonder will there be enough business for all of them? That restaurant in Clohessey's didn't last long and neither did Cafe Crust.

Cookiemunster

pigtown wrote: »

They aren't online yet. Here's the link http://eplan.limerick.ie/AppFileRefDetails/16800/0

Just looking at the drawings there, the Bishop's Quay side will have two new restaurants and the coach-house on Henry Street will also become a cafe. wonder will there be enough business for all of them? That restaurant in Clohessey's didn't last long and neither did Cafe Crust.

14 storys of offices above them, plus the hanging gardens around the corner. There'll be plenty of extra business down that way by the time it opens.

zulutango

Cookiemunster wrote: »

14 storys of offices above them, plus the hanging gardens around the corner. There'll be plenty of extra business down that way by the time it opens.

Couldn't have said it better.

In the long run also we could be looking at a significant increase in the population of Limerick, particularly in the city centre.

dave 27

Well out of all of that development there's a 6 or 7 story apartment block, wouldn't be the biggest increase in numbers but I guess it's a start, I like how the new engage development is going to utilise the Georgian buildings too, it's developments on that scale we should be looking at having throughout Georgian limerick for apartment use etc in order to bulk up the city centre population

Mutant z

Regenerate the city cenrte with apartment blocks and housing accomadation for young familys, keep shops open later and family friendly restarants to entice people to the city centre it is dead after 6pm.

johnmolloy554

Mutant z wrote: »

Regenerate the city cenrte with apartment blocks and housing accomadation for young familys, keep shops open later and family friendly restarants to entice people to the city centre it is dead after 6pm.

And how do you intend to "keep shops open later"?

Townie_P

Cookiemunster wrote: »

14 storys of offices above them, plus the hanging gardens around the corner. There'll be plenty of extra business down that way by the time it opens.

From Brimstone Steakhouse at the roundabout all the way down to the old Cafe Crust unit there will be a nice selection of restaurants/pubs/cafes along the boardwalk. If it was possible at all to have a floating river restaurant/boat restaurant around the Bishops Quay area along with regular street food stalls it would really transform that area of town as a go-to spot.

Hanging Gardens - Don't know what anyone else thinks but I can't help feeling that the council are under developing this site. They're not building high enough. Should be much more substantial than what it is IMO, especially since they went and purchased the corner unit as well.

Vanquished

Townie_P wrote: »

Hanging Gardens - Don't know what anyone else thinks but I can't help feeling that the council are under developing this site. They're not building high enough. Should be much more substantial than what it is IMO, especially since they went and purchased the corner unit as well.

It's a pretty tight and constrained site containing a number of protected structures. 6 floors behind the mercantile and hanging gardens buildings is appropriate. Anything taller would be overbearing and obtrusive. The 5 floor corner building to Henry St/Glentworth St is an important addition to the project and compliments the other elements of the design well.

A compromise was required here between providing a viable high quality commercial project and respecting the heritage of the existing buildings. I think a fairly reasonable balance has been achieved.

Poxyshamrock

I'd love to see them open up the building onto Post Office Lane. Prob won't happen though

zulutango

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

I'd love to see them open up the building onto Post Office Lane. Prob won't happen though

Me too. There's a lot of potential in that lane in particular. With the O'Connell Street refurb we could be looking at the traffic systems on Lower Glentworth and Cecil Streets being changed such that they are more people-friendly streets, and there'll be a lot of new economic activity around that area with the various developments too so Post Office lane should be given a bit of attention.

It was ridiculous to look at O'Connell Street in isolation and they've pretty much admitted this as most of the shortlisted plans include changes to the surrounding streets.

Vanquished

The AIB private car park is a real blight on lower Cecil Street too. A pebble-dashed wall fronting a city centre street is completely unacceptable. This is a prime site only metres from O'Connell Street.

Of course AIB were responsible for one of the greatest architectural crimes against Limerick city centre. Tearing down a swathe of attractive buildings to replace them with the most ignorant and disgusting example of 1960s excess!

Townie_P

Vanquished wrote: »

It's a pretty tight and constrained site containing a number of protected structures. 6 floors behind the mercantile and hanging gardens buildings is appropriate. Anything taller would be overbearing and obtrusive. The 5 floor corner building to Henry St/Glentworth St is an important addition to the project and compliments the other elements of the design well.

A compromise was required here between providing a viable high quality commercial project and respecting the heritage of the existing buildings. I think a fairly reasonable balance has been achieved.

Fair enough but I disagree. Most city centre sites are tight and constrained - it's the nature of an urban city centre. How come countless European and U.S. cities are able to build high on tight footprints but we are not? All new developments in Limerick City centre should have 20 years time in mind - we should be building high. Everyone wants a 'living city', with people living and working in the city centre and contributing to vibrant day and night time economies - we are not going to achieve this by wasting prime sites with 6 storey developments. That hanging gardens should be 10 to 12 storeys high with the extra floors being spacious apartments (for all those professionals we'll need to fill these new jobs, but they'll all probably end up living out in Castletroy...). It's a waste imo, just like Cruises Street, Arthurs Quay, Steamboat Quay were. They should at least look to build it with the ability to easily add more storeys as required in the future.

I'm not crazy about the Rudi Butler Bishops Quay development either. No problem with the 15 storey office block, but they're building an ugly bog standard 7 storey apartment block alongside it - another waste of a prime riverside block just like Howleys Quay and Clohessey's were. In the past 20+ years Limerick has had a great opportunity to build a spectacular unique riverside, but instead they've botched it and continue to do so. It's an awful shame.

bigpink

Robert Butler not in Nama???

Vanquished

Townie_P wrote: »

Fair enough but I disagree. Most city centre sites are tight and constrained - it's the nature of an urban city centre. How come countless European and U.S. cities are able to build high on tight footprints but we are not? All new developments in Limerick City centre should have 20 years time in mind - we should be building high. Everyone wants a 'living city', with people living and working in the city centre and contributing to vibrant day and night time economies - we are not going to achieve this by wasting prime sites with 6 storey developments. That hanging gardens should be 10 to 12 storeys high with the extra floors being spacious apartments (for all those professionals we'll need to fill these new jobs, but they'll all probably end up living out in Castletroy...). It's a waste imo, just like Cruises Street, Arthurs Quay, Steamboat Quay were. They should at least look to build it with the ability to easily add more storeys as required in the future.

I'm not crazy about the Rudi Butler Bishops Quay development either. No problem with the 15 storey office block, but they're building an ugly bog standard 7 storey apartment block alongside it - another waste of a prime riverside block just like Howleys Quay and Clohessey's were. In the past 20+ years Limerick has had a great opportunity to build a spectacular unique riverside, but instead they've botched it and continue to do so. It's an awful shame.

It's absolutely pointless comparing a medieval city like Limerick to American cities of which the majority were only established in the last 150 years or so. They haven't been through the same evolutionary process that European urban centres have. In fairness most European cities preserve and respect their historic cores and only designate specific areas as highrise zones. Which is a sensible policy

There are loads of brownfield sites in Limerick that are suitable for high density and high rise development. The Cleeves site, the docklands, Colbert Station area, Watergate, former Greenpark racecourse and the large large vacant landbank between the Park Canal and the Corbally link road. Lets concentrate on regenerating and redeveloping these sites in to vibrant urban quarters. Yes there are sites in the core city centre area that require redevelopment. The former Smyths warehouse on Henry Street for instance could certainly accommodate a 5 or 6 storey office building. But not a 20 floor tower which would look ludicrous in the midst of a Georgian grid street pattern.

We absolutely should be encouraging high rise and hight density development in Limerick but context is important as is location.

yermanoffthetv

I'd love to see the docklands redeveloped into a proper high density CBD with a large promenade facing the Shannon similar to Melbourne's Yarra/South bank promminade. I agree there no point in building one off high rises in unsuitable places, it would be better to concentrate apartments office spaces in one area for transport and attracting international investment rater than having low rise offices and housing spread all over the city. Limerick should also start looking at improving public transport with more dedicated bus lanes and park and ride facilities. It would be a serious plus for the city as Cork and Galway can be ridiculous at times.

dave 27

I think it's unrealistic trying to develop the docks at this stage, although I agree it would be a great addition to convert it to commercial etc it's just not viable, the limerick tunnel was built because the port is in use, you cant simply discontinue a working port, but can develop the land around it like the old gas works area etc and clean the area up. One thing you don't want is to have a small city with its centre spread out the same area as Dublin

sleepyman

I'd love to see the site/car park that's across from the Icon developed.I always think it's such a waste not to develop that site into a mixed residential/commercial unit.Hopefully some of the sites earmarked for Limerick 2030 will see some activity this year also.Seems to be a lot of talk but little action on that front.
That horrible Dunnes Stores brown building needs to go but someone said here that they still own the site.

bigpink

sleepyman wrote: »

I'd love to see the site/car park that's across from the Icon developed.I always think it's such a waste not to develop that site into a mixed residential/commercial unit.Hopefully some of the sites earmarked for Limerick 2030 will see some activity this year also.Seems to be a lot of talk but little action on that front.
That horrible Dunnes Stores brown building needs to go but someone said here that they still own the site.

Belongs to dealz its a car park and used for deliverys