Willie O'Dea welcomes €116 million funding for Regeneration Projects in Limerick
Willie O'Dea TD has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, today of €116 million in funding for two regeneration projects in Limerick.
Willie O'Dea TD said, "I very much welcome this announcement by Minister O'Brien, as I have been campaigning for this type of investment in Limerick city centre.
"All aspects of this proposal will be very positive for Limerick and I particularly welcome the redevelopment of the Cleeves site, while also retaining and incorporating the historic buildings. The plan to revitalise the city centre including through the renewing of derelict buildings and the creation of a digital innovation campus is also very much welcome and should lead to the creation of much-needed employment."
The Department will now contact the local authority on the next steps regarding funding. All selected projects support the National Planning Framework’s ‘national strategic outcome’ of compact growth, a particular focus of the second call for URDF proposals. The URDF aims to facilitate a greater proportion of residential and commercial development, supported by infrastructure, services and amenities, within the existing built-up areas of larger urban settlements.
The projects are being funded under ‘Call 2’ of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). The URDF part-funds projects aimed at enhancing urban areas to make them more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest.
The projects for which URDF support have been approved are:
Worldclass Waterfront (Limerick City and County Council) - €73.4 million
Living Limerick City Centre Initiative (Limerick City and County Council) - €42.61 million
Funding details:
Worldclass Waterfront - €73.4 million
This project includes:
Cleeves Riverside Quarter – this will deliver high quality, mixed-use development involving the adaptive re-use of historic buildings for cultural/educational use, and public spaces on a key derelict site in close proximity to the city centre. The development will focus on compact city growth.
Pedestrian Bridges and Waterfront Infrastructural Works – public realm works, proposed pedestrian bridges and re-alignment of a public road at Arthur’s Quay and Honan’s Quay. This will facilitate a comprehensive re-development at Arthur’s Quay retail area.
Living Limerick City Centre Initiative - €42.61 million
This project is about making positive, innovative and transformational change to revitalise the centre of Limerick City and supporting the objective of compact growth in a holistic and strategic manner. It is an integrated programme of urban development that will be underpinned by a programme of innovative collaboration.
The city centre is a key piece of architectural and cultural heritage. It is the driver of economic growth for the region. Over recent times it has suffered from high levels of vacancy, under-use and under-investment. Its revitalisation is identified as a transformational project in the Limerick 2030 Plan 2014.
The works to be supported includes:
Living Georgian City Programme – renew vacant and underutilised stock by embedding emerging residential, economic and employment opportunities in derelict buildings. This builds on works, including a feasibility study, supported under the URDF’s ‘Call 1’.
Digital Innovation Cluster Programme – This component will build on the work supported under the URDF ‘Call 1’, to develop an innovation campus within the city centre to attract cutting-edge companies, start-ups, ‘Accelerators’ and other related entities. This will create a dense cluster of innovators and entrepreneurs that will support job creation across the region.
Citizen Collaboration Programme – This will involve the development of a citizen observatory to support an active programme of citizen-led and developed solutions to liveability issues in the city centre. The programme will also transform the public realm of the city through a targeted programme of renewal. Renewal will increase footfall and support the development of the emerging economic, employment and residential models.
