PLANNING permission has been granted to transform a well known former solicitor’s office into a youth hostel in the heart of Limerick’s Georgian Quarter.
The proposal, submitted by Ausman Ahmed Kakar to Limerick City and County Council, will convert the former offices on 11 Glentworth Street into a hostel at its basement, ground floor, first-floor, second-floor, and third-floor levels.
A mews building to the rear of the main building will also be upgraded as part of the plans.
The former Georgian townhouse was the office of well-known local legal firm Punch and Co for over 40 years.
It’s hoped the four-storey building will provide a budget-friendly hostel for tourists into Limerick City.
As of now it is unclear how many rooms will be included, but once complete, this will mark the first time in over 20 years that Limerick city will have a full-time hostel open for business.
An Oige at 1 Pery Square was the last hostel open in Limerick before it was sold in 2001, and ceased trading in 2003.
The 65-bed hostel was designed by James Strain and occupied a prominent corner location with dual frontage on to Percy Square and Barrington Street, overlooking the People’s Park.
This is not the first time plans for a youth hostel in the city centre have been raised. In 2009, permission was secured from Limerick City Council after Hirar Properties submitted planning to develop a four-floor, 85-bed backpackers’ hostel at the site of the former Globe lapdancing club in Cecil Street.
In 2023, a successful planning application was submitted by Flan Costello, the owner of the well-known former Costello’s Tavern on Dominic Street, to develop a youth hostel on the site of the former Milk Market Bar on Mungret Street.
