05 Jun Exciting plans for first phase of Cleeves Riverside Quarter unveiled at public consultation
Phase 1 will help address Limerick housing needs
Thursday 5 June 2025: Plans for the first phase of the much-anticipated regeneration of the 4.3hectare Cleeves Riverside Quarter (CRQ) site Limerick city centre site have been unveiled to the public.
Limerick Twenty Thirty (LTT) has this week hosted a two-day public consultation ahead of submitting the first phase CRQ ‘Residential and Public Realm Project’ planning application in September of this year.
The application includes the largest city centre residential planning application for some time in Limerick and, together with two subsequent phases, the wider CRQ project will amount to one of the most important investments for Limerick in the first half of the 21st century.
The first phase of the Limerick Twenty Thirty development comprises approximately 230 homes, 270 purpose-built student rooms, 300sqm of commercial space, a creche and significant public realm with an enriched landscape. The plans also include the demolition works proposed for the project, as well as site development works, including utilities connection.
The plans celebrate and connect the River Shannon and the on-site reservoir, a unique feature of the site, as well as green spaces across the development. Connectivity and accessibility at the site are core to the first phase plans. Phase 1 will also provide for temporary uses on the adjacent Shipyard Site and a flood resilient garden.
Near-term works, starting before the end of the summer, will also see the stabilisation, consolidation and repair of the upper storey of the historic Flaxmill Building, emphasising the determination to protect the unique heritage of the site.
The second phase of the project will be the Technological University of the Shannon Campus, proposals for which are being advanced. This will involve student facilities and college lecture spaces in the Flaxmill building. The third and final phase of the project will see the full development of the adjacent Shipyard site.
Following this week’s public consultation, Limerick Twenty Thirty will, further to ongoing stakeholder engagement, review the feedback and present the final designs for Phase 1 at a second public information event in the autumn, with the planning application set to be submitted to An Bord Pleanála in Q4 of this year.
The ambition for the project is that it would revitalise the historic Cleeves site and surrounding area to deliver a world class project for Limerick’s urban core. In doing so, it will also support the growth of a strong local economy and encourage and facilitate new business investment.
The CRQ project will have a strong sustainability focus, with an Environmental Impact Assessment being developed to consider the unique natural aspects of the riverside site in Limerick city centre.
Commenting on the process, Mayor of Limerick John Moran said, “We are at an inflection point for Limerick as we transition from our vision for a vibrant, competitive European city to realising that vision. We can only do this in a spirit of partnership with the local and wider community and the Cleeves Riverside Quarter public consultation process is all about ensuring that these opinions are heard.”
James Collins, Chair of LTT said, “The Cleeves site, together with what Limerick Twenty Thirty is doing at Opera Square and what it has delivered at Gardens International, will play a huge role in shaping the future of Limerick as a vibrant, modern European city. This first phase of the project is very much focussed on residential as that’s the big issue and requirement of the day here, so we’re delighted at Limerick Twenty Thirty to help answer that need.”
Said Limerick Twenty Thirty CEO Enda Power, “Cleeves Riverside Quarter is going to be a superb blend of old and new, of residential and commercial, of cultural and recreational space. When completed, it will be right up there with the very best mix-use city developments in Europe. That’s the level of ambition we have in Limerick Twenty Thirty and one we are determined to realise for Limerick and the wider region.”
He added, “Having our Public Consultation is a key part of this. We’ve consulted with the public on the masterplan for the site, have done so now with the first phase of the actual planning application and will do so again for subsequent phases. The local and wider community has really embraced these consultations, and the feedback is something the project has benefited from.”
Said Karen McEvoy, Bucholz McEvoy Architects: “The location, the space and the heritage of the Cleeves Riverside Quarter fold into an amazing opportunity to develop a world-class urban space that is, at the same time, sensitive to the unique characteristics of the site. This first phase incorporating a high quality landscaped public realm for a new residential community connected around the reservoir, offering climate resilience and enhancing biodiversity, is an exciting step in forwarding the vision for the new quarter, benefitting from the unique characteristics of Cleeves and its place in the history of Limerick city”
Said George Wilson, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, “From the very off, this has been a captivating site to work with as it has so many unique characteristics. There’s its location on the banks of the Shannon, its industrial and architectural heritage, the fact that there’s a reservoir and quarry on the site and so much more beside. So, our job from the off has been to bring all these components from the past together into a plan for a project that would help Limerick stand-out as a city in the future. It has been a pleasure to work on, and we are really looking forward to seeing it evolve.”