LIMERICK City and County Council was advised to “start being realistic” around its Framework Plan for the Arthur’s Quay area.
Building on the Limerick Development Plan 2022-2028 and the Limerick 2030 plan, the Arthur’s Quay Framework will advance the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) funded World Class Waterfront project. Limerick Council is now exploring how it might make this key part of the city centre a more attractive, appealing, and better functioning place for everyone.
During an update on the framework at Months Metropolitan District meeting, a Council senior executive engineer, Olive Downes, explained that the area the ambitious waterfront encompasses includes Sarsfield House, Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre, the Debenhams and Penney’s block on O’Connell Street, down to Honan’s Quay and Arthur’s Quay Park.
The objectives of the framework, Ms Downes told Council members, envisions a living waterfront quarter with active public spaces, which also aims to protect the natural environment and ecology of the area and celebrate Limerick’s heritage.
- External Walls: Up to €8,000 Grant
- Attic: Up to €1,500 Grant
- Cavity Walls: Up to €1,700 Grant
- Internal Dry Lining: Up to €4,500 Grant
The framework also aims to connect the waterfront quarter to improve pedestrian and cycling permeability, alongside a mixed-use to revitalise the area.
Ms Downes told the meeting that the Council has two briefings with councillors, as well as public engagement. “Since that time, there have been a number of issues, such as the development of the Transport Plan, and details in relation to Sarsfield House, which are now coming together. We’re in a position now to move on with the framework,” she said.
A total of 345 submissions were received on the back of public consultation – 215 online and 130 in person. The majority of respondents were for keeping Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre as is without extending it into the wider Arthur’s Quay area. The public was also predominantly in favour of Sarsfield House and the former tourist office being maintained and retrofitted.
There were also calls for improvements to Arthur’s Quay Park to include more seating and children’s play areas, along with removing traffic from the Arthur’s Quay area (completely or partially), improved residential development in the area, greater connectivity to the river, and the closure of Honan’s Quay to vehicles.
‘The way forward for the whole area’
Ms Downes said that the Council receive a number of suggestions for the Arthur’s Quay area,along with public transport ideas and queries around the University of Limerick’s (UL) City Campus. She noted, however, that to get things moving the Council is currently working on a capacity study and carbon assessment for Sarsfield house, which will, she said, allow the Council to make informed judgement and proposals going forward.
“Our colleagues are working on the flood scheme at the moment, and keeping the construction of the flood scheme at the riverside of Sarsfield House proposes a lot of challenges if (it) remains in its current situation,” she said.
“In a about a month’s time, we will have the draft of the Sarsfield House assessment and would plan to have further workshops with councillors and the Mayor.
“Planning considerations need to be taken into account using the framework and that will have to be looked at. The framework plan will map out the way forward for that whole area.”
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan suggested that the Council has no remit over the Debenhams and Penney’s block on O’Connell Street and called for it to be removed from the framework. She also questioned why UL City Campus featured, as it too was out of the local authority’s realm.
“I’m disappointed to see we are still calling it a world-class waterfront. What is this world-class benchmarked against? I think we need to scrap that language, it’s just the Arthur’s Quay waterfront,” Cllr O’Donovan told the meeting.
‘Let’s start being realistic’
The City West representative hit out that the draft framework hasn’t moved on since first discussed in the Merchant’s Quay chamber.
“Let’s start being realistic about what we can do and can’t do. It is incredibly frustrating to still be in the same position as we were after many, many consultations.”
Cllr O’Donovan said “it is disappointing to still see that we are at the same point in relation to transport”.
“It’s fine and well to say we will close Honan’s Quay but the reality is that Arthur’s Quay is a major hub for transport, particularly buses in the city. We need to be real around that. Where are we going to put those bus stops? There’s never been any realism around this.”
Labour Party councillor Joe Leddin wanted to know if there was any update in relation to UL’s City Campus.
“The two projects are inexplicably linked. It’s a key site in the city and a key site in terms of what we are trying to achieve with the Arthur’s Quay framework,” Cllr Leddin insisted.
He questioned Council management about Sarsfield House, which he said is still under the ownership of the Office of Public Works (OPW).
“Have we any idea what the OPW might want to do with Sarsfield House? We can all say we want to do X, Y, and Z, but they might have other plans,” he pointed out.
Fine Gael councillor Dan McSweeney deemed it disappointing the length of time it has taken the Council get to this juncture with the framework.
“We would have a development plan adopted at this stage if was a development plan we were adopting, which takes into consideration across the whole city and the county. I would appeal that there be no further delays in relation to this plan. It’s going on nearly three years now,” Cllr McSweeney insisted.
“We have the same issue with the Transport Plan which is supposed to feed into this. We were promised that would be published last June or July and it still hasn’t happened. There seems to be major blockages in the organisation.”
‘We need to move on this’
The Fine Gael man concurred with Cllr Leddin in relation to Sarsfield House and said that he was of the understanding that the OPW wouldn’t commit to a move until a stage where the Council committed that it would require Sarsfield House to be knocked.
“They weren’t just moving from one building to the other building for the fun of it. Overall, we need to move on with this. We need to see investment. We’ve seen Arthur’s Quay Park neglected for the last number of years in anticipation of this framework, and we’ve seen other areas neglected. We need to get the finalised document within the next month to two months,” Cllr McSweeney declared.
According to the Council executive, the framework sets out what Limerick Council, as a planning authority, would envisage for any vacant business premises in the city centre.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with buildings in particular, but it would set out what would be suitable and what would be acceptable. It looks at the area as a whole so that’s why Debenhams block and UL campus are being considered,” Ms Downes clarified.
UL, the senior executive engineer told the meeting, is looking to house is School of Medicine in the UL City Campus and is currently working to get funding for this move.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme