Limerick improvement projects

Poxyshamrock

Cookiemunster wrote: »

This was a private development. Private companies can't CPO land and the council can't by everything despite buying the Hanging Gardens and the Opera Center.

Private companies can buy the land just as in City East.

OfTheMarsWongs

I was going to say lots of space at St. Joseph's Hospital if it was knocked. Only 15 minute walk from Arthur’s Quay and train station.

Not sure I'd want to work on 'Calamity Row' though between the graveyard and jail.

Townie_P

Vanquished wrote: »

It is a horrible location and I'd hate to work out there but sadly there isn't an office complex in the city centre at the moment that can accommodate the 600 or 700 employees at Northern Trust. This is due to increase to 1000 by the end of next year as well.

It would of course be preferable for those jobs to be based in the city centre but that horse has bolted now and we need to see the likes of the hanging gardens development coming on stream as quickly as possible. We badly need to see the return of private commercial investment also!

I know people who work there and they love the location, it's a car commuters dream. Regardless of what part of Limerick you live the motorway gets you to and from work without any delays or traffic.

BTW, the full development being built there is not all for Northern Trust. NT are not even taking the full phase 2 building that's currently being finished. There'll be other companies going in there too.

Vanquished

If that's the kind of experience you're after then great. Being based out in a field on the very outskirts of the city wouldn't appeal to me. The services and facilities in that part of town are dreadful. If you just want to head out for a bite at lunch you pretty much have to use your car!

MrJones2013

Is there a tenant lined up for this new office block?

It baffles me how PP was granted for another new office block on the outskirts of the city when there are so many half completed projects both in the city centre and on the periphery as it is. I'm all in favour of developments but I'd rather see the half finished buildings completed and not left to rot while a new project begins. I understand that parking/traffic is an issue in the city centre but why not let it become a bigger issue by getting more people in there and then it might actually be addressed?! (Just an idea!)

Poxyshamrock

At least you have the option of walking, taking the bus to the city centre. As it is, I'd say it's predominantly private car usage for City East Plaza.

MrJones2013

It looks like the 307 goes from UL to Town Via City East. It's an hourly service

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1447428031-Limerick_Map.pdf

You'd need to connect in the city centre if you were going this way from another side of the city.

I'd imagine that you are correct though, I'd say it's predominantly private car usage.

jbkenn

MrJones2013 wrote: »

It baffles me how PP was granted for another new office block on the outskirts of the city when there are so many half completed projects both in the city centre and on the periphery as it is.

Perhaps the Development Contribution of €498,750 helped make up the Councils mind, like TommyTesco says, "every little helps"

MrJones2013

jbkenn wrote: »

Perhaps the Development Contribution of €498,750 helped make up the Councils mind, like TommyTesco says, "every little helps"

This may go towards the foot bridge :eek:

Cookiemunster

Now this is a bridge I can get behind.

The local authority recently acquired Thomond Weir and the associated fish packing building from the ESB for an undisclosed sum and now plans to develop the site, 500 metres north of Thomond Bridge, as a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.

OfTheMarsWongs

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Now this is a bridge I can get behind.

The local authority recently acquired Thomond Weir and the associated fish packing building from the ESB for an undisclosed sum and now plans to develop the site, 500 metres north of Thomond Bridge, as a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.

Wouldn't hold your breath. The island bank is still closed further down since the floods in Feb 2014. Athlunkard St to King John's Castle was a great cycle after tarmacced the path.

zulutango

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Now this is a bridge I can get behind.

The local authority recently acquired Thomond Weir and the associated fish packing building from the ESB for an undisclosed sum and now plans to develop the site, 500 metres north of Thomond Bridge, as a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.

The reasons for and against this bridge would be very different. It was mooted a few years back and there were strong objections at the time, and I suspect there will be this time too. I don't see the objections as being particularly valid though.

Tefral

Would be a great idea to put a main road through St. Marys park. Open it up so its not just some forgotten Cul De Sac

johnnyryan89

zulutango wrote: »

The reasons for and against this bridge would be very different. It was mooted a few years back and there were strong objections at the time, and I suspect there will be this time too. I don't see the objections as being particularly valid though.

Do tell?

cronin_j wrote: »

Would be a great idea to put a main road through St. Marys park. Open it up so its not just some forgotten Cul De Sac

Couldn't agree more, the one way in and one way out is a killer especially now when they have the whole place dug up and blocked off doing the water pipes. They had in the regeneration plans that was handed out to us a few years ago that a possible new road which could have been built linking St Mary's Park over to New Road. It was only mentioned as a possible idea and probably wouldn't have been built but would be a lot more beneficial then this walkway bridge.

Townie_P

Vanquished wrote: »

If that's the kind of experience you're after then great. Being based out in a field on the very outskirts of the city wouldn't appeal to me. The services and facilities in that part of town are dreadful. If you just want to head out for a bite at lunch you pretty much have to use your car!

Yea you are car dependent but you're only around the corner from the Parkway SC, Childers Rd and Castletroy, among others. Less than 10 mins from the Crescent SC on the motorway. Pretty much everything you need is out there within a few minutes but you do need a car.

zulutango

Townie_P wrote:

Yea you are car dependent but you're only around the corner from the Parkway SC, Childers Rd and Castletroy, among others. Less than 10 mins from the Crescent SC on the motorway. Pretty much everything you need is out there within a few minutes but you do need a car.

That doesn't sell it to me at all. As Bill Bryson said, I'd rather have bowl surgery in the woods with broken sticks than work in such a place.

wigsa100

I can't give specifics on this for obvious reasons, but I can assure you this is 100% legit.

A friend of mine is quite high up the chain in a tech startup. They're doing very well, have built a pretty decent international business. They were looking to set up a new HQ in Ireland, so my buddy, being from Limerick and loving the city, pushed Limerick as the location.

The IDA are able to cover up to 30% of the costs for startups for the first three years if they are going to employ a certain amount of people(due to the tax revenue they will accumulate into the exchequer very quickly). IDA said yes they'll give it the go ahead. They sourced a suitable building in the city centre. All going great.

When they went to them with the final proposal, IDA said no, we'll only cover 15%, due to volatility of the business, etc. They had met Northern Ireland's IDA equivalent in the meantime who offered them 40% of the costs to locate in Belfast. 40%.

After plenty of back and forth, including with Michael Noonan, there was no budge. They decided to located in Dublin for the 15% because it was going to be harder to attract the calibre of worker they wanted to Limerick(programmers mainly) than it would be to Dublin. Although 30% of the costs would have convinced them to do so, they couldn't justify picking Limerick over Dublin for 15%.

I just wanted to share that as an example of what Limerick is up against at government and corporate level. I think it was 60 jobs. Limerick desperately needed those 60 jobs. Dublin did not. If there was a genuine desire to see smaller cities develop, this would have been a no brainer from the IDA.

zulutango

Doesn't surprise me. Can you say what building they had picked?

PMBC

wigsa100 wrote: »

I can't give specifics on this for obvious reasons, but I can assure you this is 100% legit.

A friend of mine is quite high up the chain in a tech startup. They're doing very well, have built a pretty decent international business. They were looking to set up a new HQ in Ireland, so my buddy, being from Limerick and loving the city, pushed Limerick as the location.

The IDA are able to cover up to 30% of the costs for startups for the first three years if they are going to employ a certain amount of people(due to the tax revenue they will accumulate into the exchequer very quickly). IDA said yes they'll give it the go ahead. They sourced a suitable building in the city centre. All going great.

When they went to them with the final proposal, IDA said no, we'll only cover 15%, due to volatility of the business, etc. They had met Northern Ireland's IDA equivalent in the meantime who offered them 40% of the costs to locate in Belfast. 40%.

After plenty of back and forth, including with Michael Noonan, there was no budge. They decided to located in Dublin for the 15% because it was going to be harder to attract the calibre of worker they wanted to Limerick(programmers mainly) than it would be to Dublin. Although 30% of the costs would have convinced them to do so, they couldn't justify picking Limerick over Dublin for 15%.

I just wanted to share that as an example of what Limerick is up against at government and corporate level. I think it was 60 jobs. Limerick desperately needed those 60 jobs. Dublin did not. If there was a genuine desire to see smaller cities develop, this would have been a no brainer from the IDA.

It wouldn't make sense that MoF Noonan wouldn't support unless it was that risky. Imagine the political kudos of bringing that to your constituency!
I worked near Limerick and lived in the city many moons ago. I loved the area from Sarsfields Bridge to Thomond Bridge where I lived nearby and the city area near there. Then pints in Myles Breen's and the crack .... you couldn't beat it.
Could you think of a much nicer place to be on a warm sunny day like today?

jonski

wigsa100 wrote: »

I can't give specifics on this for obvious reasons, but I can assure you this is 100% legit.

A friend of mine is quite high up the chain in a tech startup. They're doing very well, have built a pretty decent international business. They were looking to set up a new HQ in Ireland, so my buddy, being from Limerick and loving the city, pushed Limerick as the location.

The IDA are able to cover up to 30% of the costs for startups for the first three years if they are going to employ a certain amount of people(due to the tax revenue they will accumulate into the exchequer very quickly). IDA said yes they'll give it the go ahead. They sourced a suitable building in the city centre. All going great.

When they went to them with the final proposal, IDA said no, we'll only cover 15%, due to volatility of the business, etc. They had met Northern Ireland's IDA equivalent in the meantime who offered them 40% of the costs to locate in Belfast. 40%.

After plenty of back and forth, including with Michael Noonan, there was no budge. They decided to located in Dublin for the 15% because it was going to be harder to attract the calibre of worker they wanted to Limerick(programmers mainly) than it would be to Dublin. Although 30% of the costs would have convinced them to do so, they couldn't justify picking Limerick over Dublin for 15%.

I just wanted to share that as an example of what Limerick is up against at government and corporate level. I think it was 60 jobs. Limerick desperately needed those 60 jobs. Dublin did not. If there was a genuine desire to see smaller cities develop, this would have been a no brainer from the IDA.

I wouldn't have thought there would have been a shortage of programmers in Limerick to start with ?

wigsa100

zulutango wrote: »

Doesn't surprise me. Can you say what building they had picked?

I'd rather not, sorry zulutango. It was smack in the middle of town though.

wigsa100

jonski wrote: »

I wouldn't have thought there would have been a shortage of programmers in Limerick to start with ?

I don't know anything about the tech industry so I can't really comment to be honest, it's just what I was told.

johnnyryan89

jonski wrote: »

I wouldn't have thought there would have been a shortage of programmers in Limerick to start with ?

And you'd be right Jonski. There's actually a momentum course on in The Granary and a lot of the guys in the class are really good programmers holding masters degrees and other qualifications so it's a pity something like this wasn't able to locate in the city.

dave 27

Does anyone have a few updates on the courts complex and the station? Was walking by o Callaghan strand earlier and could have sworn I saw a crane up the far side of town?

Poxyshamrock

There's a tower crane on Mulgrave Street for the new courthouse. There'll probably be another one soon for the extension to the prison.

Cookiemunster

I just seen here that the development of a new primary care center for Limerick is to start next week. Does anyone know where it's to be sited?

panda100

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I just seen here that the development of a new primary care center for Limerick is to start next week. Does anyone know where it's to be sited?

I wonder will it be located in the proposed Health Hub in the old Town Hall on Rutland Street?

Vanquished

I'd imagine this is the one being built on the old Shannon Foundry site between City Campus and the former Limerick Clothing Factory on Lord Edward Street.

Cookiemunster

Vanquished wrote: »

I'd imagine this is the one being built on the old Shannon Foundry site between City Campus and the former Limerick Clothing Factory on Lord Edward Street.

No there's 80 social houses/apartments going in there and it's been ongoing for months. Work on this isn't due to start until next week.

Vanquished

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Vanquished wrote: »

I'd imagine this is the one being built on the old Shannon Foundry site between City Campus and the former Limerick Clothing Factory on Lord Edward Street.

No there's 80 social houses/apartments going in there and it's been ongoing for months. Work on this isn't due to start until next week.

The new housing project is being built on the former Limerick Clothing factory site. This primary care centre is being developed on the neighbouring site where a disused warehouse currently stands on the grounds of City Campus.

Access to the primary care facility will be from the new housing scheme.