Planned events centre in Limerick projected to host 1,000 people
Regeneron leading multi-million euro project in Raheen
A MASSIVE new events centre, which will be able to host up to 1,000 people, is being planned by Regeneron at its site in Raheen.
The biomedical firm, which employs more than 2,000 people at the former Dell computer manufacturing campus, has secured permission from Limerick City and County Council to build the facility, which can fit 500 people seated or 1,000 people standing.
An appeal from local farmer and former Limerick hurling boss Tom Ryan – who has long expressed concern at the outflow of water from the Raheen Industrial Estate – has been made to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The national appeals body has scheduled a decision for Christmas week.
Agents for Regeneron have stated the aim is “to create a distinctive and memorable venue with a strong architectural identity, incorporating a considered ‘wow factor’.”
The medical company has said the facility would primarily be used for its staff.
But there is likely to be more widespread interest in using the centre, given Limerick does not currently have a large conference venue.
It’s something the local business community has long called for.
The development is planned in an area where a protected structure currently exists, the Gothic-style Roche Castle, constructed between 1820 and 1840.
Regeneron says it will build the event centre within the courtyard of the existing Roche Castle outbuildings.
This, the firm says, will be done through the “sensitive restoration, refurbishment and adaptive reuse of existing 19th-century stables and outbuildings.”
"The design approach will respect and retain the historical character, form and materials of the existing structures, ensuring all interventions are sympathetic to their architectural significance.”