PLANS have been submitted for over 400 residential and student accommodation in Castletroy as part of a large-scale development for a period of seven years.
A&G Thomond Builders Limited have applied to Limerick City and County Council for purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) catering for up to 309 students, as well as 95 residential apartments and 22 houses on land between Groody Road and Caisleán Na hAbhann.
Plans for student accommodation as part of the development will consist of four five-storey blocks to include three seven-bed apartments and 36 eight-bed apartments.
117 residential units comprising a mix of apartments and houses are also being proposed.
The four-and-a-half storey apartment units will be distributed across four separate blocks, comprising of 12 one-bed, 80 two-bed, and three three-bed units.
A communal space, laundry facilities, and a meeting room will also be located on the ground floor, and provisions for a creche on site.
Proposed parking includes 26 student car parking spaces with six electric vehicle spaces, six creche car parking spaces, and the remaining spaces allocated to residents.
Under plans, this would consist of 82 communal parking spaces, 12 private allocated parking spaces for houses, 23 communal electric vehicle charging spaces, 10 universal design electric vehicle charing spaces, six disabled parking spaces, and one car club car parking space.
Visitor bicycle spaces for the houses will also be provided at three locations, with two parking stands provided to the south between the housing and the apartment block and the other provided on the western boundary situated between the two blocks of housing.
A total of 120 visitor bicycle spaces will also be provided, under the plans.
While the unit will be occupied primarily by students, planning permission is also being sought for use of the accommodation outside of student term time for short-term lets.
A student courtyard, which is to be situated within the accommodation area, is also hoped to serve as “a vibrant hub for social interaction, relaxation, and outdoor learning” with open spaces and shaded areas for study and group activities.
An outdoor fitness trail is also included under the plans, providing gym equipment for students, such as free runners, sit up benches and cross trainers on site.
Two fully equipped children’s playgrounds will also be incorporated into the southern half of the development, enclosed by 1.2 metre railing and self-closing gates.
Landscape proposals include a substantial tree and hedgerow strategy, and a number of bat boxes will be installed on retained mature trees and suitable elevations on site for local bat species.
Vehicular and pedestrian access to the site will be from the Groody Road and Caisleán Na hAbhann.
A decision on the planned proposals is expected by the end of March.
Separately, developments to deliver 1,400 bed spaces for students in Castletroy was also given the green light last October.
The proposal to build 1,400 much-needed new spaces to house thousands of students near the University of Limerick (UL) campus was given the go ahead by planners at Limerick City and County Council.
The purpose-built student accommodation scheme, proposed by Groody Developments Limited, is hoped to house up to 1,400 students on the outskirts of the UL campus on land fronting the Groody Road and Dublin Road in Castletroy, an area which already has a thriving student population across a number of estates.
The proposed new development consists of 196 bed ‘clusters’ which will be delivered in two phases, and distributed across five separate apartment blocks ranging in height from five to eight storeys. The developer is hoping for a delivery timeframe up to seven years.
Bed clusters usually involve private rooms with shared common spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms.
Block A of the new project, comprising of eight storeys, will provide 28 bed clusters and 224 bed spaces, as well as a new student library and student ‘union’ space.
Block B, spread across seven storeys, will accommodate 52 bed clusters (400 beds) and feature a reception, office, and student canteen.
Block C will cater to up to 355 students along with a student gym, while Block D and E will provide 355 and 211 bed spaces respectively.
Vehicular access to the site will be accessible from the Groody Road with pedestrian access from the Dublin Road.
There will also be pedestrian and cycle connections from the Groody Road to the Groody Green Wedge, while natural landscaping and public walkways within the Groody Green Wedge, and a wetland area adjacent to the Groody River are also proposed.
As part of the planning permission, developers propose to use the accommodation outside of student term time for short-term letting.