FINAL plans for the €400m plus Cleeves Riverside Quarter, the largest development yet under the Limerick Twenty Thirty (LTT), are set to be unveiled this week.
Following a comprehensive master-planning and design programme, Limerick Twenty Thirty will formally submit a planning application for the 10-acre site on the banks of the Shannon next week.
This will mark ‘Phase Two’ of the project, hoped to deliver 1,000 new houses, including 234 high-quality homes and 270 purpose-build student rooms.
With residential accommodation in such short supply, this project is described as “a major response to the housing crisis, offering not just accommodation but a thriving, inclusive community, seamlessly integrated with Limerick’s historic fabric and natural assets.”
As part of the planning application, it also encompasses a commercial space fronting onto the river at O’Callaghan Strand, with a café or food and beverage hub with terrace seating overlooking the water also envisioned.
A crèche, new parks, plazas and gardens as well as the creation of the landmark Reservoir/Quarry Park, the Flaxmill Square, and the Riverside Corridor are all part of the plans.
The planning application will also cover demolition and site preparation works, including utilities connections.
A public information event for people to engage with the plans and have their say takes place this Wednesday (October 22) at the Flaxmill building in Cleeves Riverside Quarter, North Circular Road from 12.30 pm to 2pm and 5pm to 7pm. For those unable to attend in person, the public information boards are available on the Limerick Twenty Thirty website.
A separate briefing for elected representatives will be given on Thursday, with the plans then being formally lodged next week.
The public has had significant input through several rounds of public engagement, a statement from LTT said, most recently the master-planning process in 2023 and the two non-statutory public consultation sessions held earlier this year in June 2025.
Attendees at the information event this week will view the plans before they are submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála next week for consideration. It is hoped that a planning decision will be finalised before the end of 2026.
The first phase of the project involves heritage works on the iconic Flaxmill building, seeing the stabilisation, consolidation and repair of the upper storey and roof.
The contractor for the heritage works is already selected, and work is expected to commence later this year.
Phase three will see the development of the Technological University of Shannon Campus providing student facilities and college lecture spaces within the Flaxmill, Infiltration Gallery and North Circular Road plots.
The development of the shipyard site adjacent to Cleeves Riverside Quarter will be the fourth and final phase of the project.
Commenting, Mayor of Limerick John Moran said “it is great news to see the planning application for this disused site. Given the growing positivity about Limerick’s future, we need more anchors for enterprise and development.”
“They really won’t come any bigger than Cleeves Riverside Quarter. This, by any city standards, especially with plans for the new pedestrian bridge, is a phenomenal site, located on the banks of the River Shannon, in what is effectively the city centre.”
LTT chair James Collins also remarked that “Limerick Twenty Thirty has already delivered landmark projects for the city, including the award-winning Gardens International and One Opera Square, with further development at Opera Square ongoing”.
“While most of our projects have primarily focused on commercial office space, Cleeves represents a significant step in addressing Limerick’s urgent need for new homes and student accommodation, meeting the growing demand for quality, accessible places to live.”
LTT CEO Enda Power said that “Cleeves Riverside Quarter is the next step in Limerick Twenty Thirty’s mission to drive the city’s regeneration through ambitious and sustainable development. It responds directly to Limerick’s growing demand for high quality housing and student accommodation, while creating a new mixed-use quarter that strengthens the economic and cultural core of the city.”
The estimated €400m programme has significant funding approved under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF).
Subject to funding and market demand, it could be developed over a six-year timeframe and will be the largest inner-city project ever undertaken in Limerick and one of the largest in the State.
Cleeves Riverside Quarter is one of Limerick’s most recognisable sites, synonymous for its 142ft red-bricked chimney stack, which remains the emblem for what was one of Ireland’s largest industrial sites of the 19th century, designed and built for up to 6,000 workers.
It was home to the famous Cleeves Condensed Milk Company, which had 3,000 employees on its payroll and sourced its raw material from 3,000 farmers across Ireland. The site also has significant political heritage, having been one of the key locations for the Limerick Soviet of 1919.
While the site has remained largely undeveloped in recent years, it has played host to a variety of interim uses since the site was acquired by Limerick Twenty Thirty in 2021, from cultural events to charitable initiatives.