PARIS has the Eiffel Tower, Dublin boasts The Spire and now plans are afoot to develop an iconic structure for Limerick city to attract an additional one million visitors annually over the next decade, the Limerick Leader can exclusively reveal.
A number of local bodies including the Limerick Co-Ordination Office, Atlantic Way, Shannon Development and the University of Limerick, are holding a brainstorming session next Tuesday night. Only a select group of "key influencers" in the Mid West r
egion have been invited to contribute their views on what this structure should be and where it should to be located.
However, according to one source, Limerick's sporting reputation is likely to feature prominently in the discussion. "The purpose of the session is to have an open-minded, creative and ambitious exploration of potential candidate projects and events that could constitute an iconic attraction for Limerick city," states a letter addressed to one recipient in mid December.
Andrew Mawhinney of Limerick Co-Ordination office is remaining tight-lipped on the project and would only confirm: "It's just a preliminary session. Atlantic Way are organising it and we're just helping to facilitate it." Maria Kelly, chief executive of Limerick Chamber of Commerce, who will be attending the meeting, said it's high time that Limerick city had a main focus point, which would attract more people to the city centre.
"The city needs something like this, to draw more people into the city. A lot will depend on what comes out of this meeting. Now that everybody is coming together at least there will be consensus. I believe it's just an initial session for developers and business people but up to 30 people have been invited," said Ms Kelly. And various locations have already been mooted for Limerick's future landmark, with one major contender.
"The Docklands, Arthur's Quay and Limerick Boatclub have been mentioned but the Docklands is a big if," said Ms Kelly. Cllr Diarmuid Scully also agreed that the Docklands is the most obvious choice. "This is going to involve a lot of discussion and a lot of debate. The obvious choice for a location would be the Docklands but that would presuppose that a decision on the docks will be made soon, which is not the case," said Cllr Scully. The meeting will be chaired by Professor Eamonn Murphy at the Quality Hotel on Tuesday, January 16 at 6pm.
