THE FORMER Dunnes Stores building at Honan’s Quay is earmarked as the site for the new University of Limerick School of Medicine, it has been confirmed.
The proposal to locate the School of Medicine to the city centre has been brought to the university’s governing authority.
Limerick’s Mayor, John Moran, welcomed the proposal in a statement yesterday. “I warmly welcome the exciting proposal from the University of Limerick’s Governing Authority to explore relocating its School of Medicine to the former Dunnes Stores site at Honan’s Quay.
“A world class medical school in the heart of the city centre would continue to position Limerick as a leader in education, innovation and health, while also breathing new energy into the heart of the area,” he said.
The Mayor acknowledged that the proposal “is, as of now, at a very early conceptual stage. A body of work lies ahead to assess the feasibility of the proposal.
“However, these are the kind of bold, futureproof ideas we need if we are serious about creating a world-class waterfront”.
Mayor Moran said he is looking forward to supporting the ambitious project and working closely with UL, as well as his colleagues in Limerick City and County Council and “all stakeholders to help bring this and other complementary ideas to life”.
“In my view, the potential of Honan’s Quay goes far beyond a single project. We must continue to explore parallel uses alongside the medical school concept, both cultural and otherwise, which will help us secure the necessary funding to create a game changing project for Limerick’s waterfront.
“Let’s seize the opportunity to take action on something truly transformative, with a commitment to ultimately deliver More for Limerick,” he said.
Acquisition of the site for €8 million in 2019 was previously criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General, who said: “It is difficult to see how the purchase represented value for money.”
A valuation of the property in 2023 concluded that the university had paid around one third more than the market value of the property four years earlier.
The university had to write down the value of the property and incurred a €3m impairment charge on the acquisition in its 2022 – 2023 annual financial statements.
Currently, less than one quarter of the building is in use. It has long been hoped that having the site fully operational as a university campus would bring more business and particularly night-time life and spend to the city centre.
