APARTMENT blocks nearby the long-awaited €80m Opera Square development in the heart of Limerick City have been given the green light.
Architecture firm Healy Partners joined up with developers HKD Limited to seek planning permission for a multi-storey building comprising 22 apartments in the landmark Limerick Opera development.
The seven-storey building will comprise 16 one-bedroom and six two-bed apartments, as well as a communal area for residents and commercial space on the ground floor.
The demolition of a vacant garage on Michael Street is also included as part of the plans.
Developers have said the new housing plans will “transform a vacant brownfield site on Michael Street into a vibrant contemporary addition to Limerick city centre”.
Last March, Whitbread PLC, the parent company of the Premier Inn, announced it was to open a 156-room hotel at the Opera Square development.
It will be the first private investment in the wider Opera Square development, and will be built, operated, and owned by Whitbread at a site on the corner of Ellen Street and Patrick Street.
Currently the chain offers its customers six hotel locations in Dublin and Cork – equivalent to more than 1,000 guest bedrooms – with another six hotels and a further 1,000 guest rooms in development.
The Opera Square investment will position Premier Inn at the heart of one of Limerick’s most significant urban regeneration projects, in a city with a strong year-round demand for hotel rooms.
Subject to an amendment to pre-existing planning permission, the seven-storey Limerick Premier Inn will offer a mix of the brand’s standard and enhanced ‘Premier Plus’ bedrooms and a free-to-use ground-floor lounge.
Work also began on what is set to become Limerick’s tallest building in January with a 14-storey office building which will house the Revenue Commissioners Office and other Government departments.
The first completed project as part of the Opera Square development opened last September, comprising approximately 12,111 square-metres of office space and has the capacity to house up to 1,000 employees.