28 May Public invited to have its say on key elements of iconic Cleeves Riverside Quarter development

Posted at 13:13h in Limerick 2030 by

With the upcoming submission of a planning application for the Cleeves Riverside Quarter this September, Limerick Twenty Thirty (LTT) is inviting members of the public to share their views on the proposed scheme. The scheme, which includes approximately 500 residential and student accommodation units, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a vibrant new neighbourhood for Limerick city, one that opens the site to the river and re-establishes a strong relationship with the waterfront.

Ahead of the submission of the final plans for residential and public realm at the 10acre site, which will play a key role in shaping Limerick’s future, developer of the project,  LTT, will conduct two days of non-statutory public consultation on Wednesday 4th (6pm to 8pm) and Thursday 5th (12 midday to 2pm) June in the Flaxmill, Cleeves Riverside Quarter, Eircode: V94 EY71.

The public engagement event will be a key opportunity for the public to observe and help inform the plans for these two key elements before the plans are put forward to An Bord Pleanála.

The Project team will be on hand on Wednesday and Thursday to take members of the public through the plans, which include provision for approximately 230 residential units and a further 270 purpose-built, professionally managed student accommodation units. These will be designed to best-in-class standards, ensuring a high-quality living environment that supports both the community and the wider neighbourhood. The scheme also includes around 300sqm of commercial space, contributing to a vibrant and integrated urban quarter.

The Phase One planning application will include enabling works and the first delivery of housing, responding to the urgent demand for homes in the city. While the overall development will include a mix of residential, education, and employment uses, housing is the initial focus of this submission. This phase also includes a crèche, enhanced public realm with riverside landscaping, and proposed uses for the adjacent Shipyard site; such as a residential car club and a flood-resilient garden.

Commenting ahead of the public engagement, Mayor of Limerick John Moran said, “The Cleeves Riverside Quarter Project has the potential to transform our city. A key part of the More for Limerick Mayoral Programme is to drive on this and other projects, such as the Opera Square site which the Government recently committed funding to. It’s clear we are seeing action on unlocking some of these potentially game changing projects for Limerick. Now the Cleeves project has progressed the to a critical stage, it is important to now hear what the people of Limerick would like to see. I’d strongly encourage people to come along to the Cleeves Riverside Quarter next week to give their thoughts on what Limerick Twenty Thirty is developing.”

Chair of LTT James Collins said, “Our ambition is to take this amazing site in the heart of Limerick and revitalise it in a way that delivers a world-class proposition for Limerick. This site is the single most important site being planned for development in the largest riverside urban centre in Ireland. It’s essential therefore we get that right and it can only be done in consultation with the public.”

Limerick Twenty Thirty CEO Enda Power said “The overall objective for Cleeves Riverside Quarter is to deliver a new neighbourhood in the City Centre, one where people can live, learn, work and grow up in. Recognising the urgent need for residential accommodation in the city, we are pushing ahead and prioritising the residential elements in this first phase of our planning application. These will be closely followed by the education and workspace designs which are progressing well and we are really excited about.”

The estimated €400million project already has €35m in funding in approved under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund (URDF). It will be developed over a 6year timeframe and will be the largest inner-city project ever undertaken in Limerick and one of the largest in the State.

The public has already been engaged on the masterplan for the site, with the project now moving to a key pre-planning stage.

The 10acre 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.