City pride ‘somewhat undermined’ by 'neglect' of public spaces

A LIMERICK city resident has raised concerns about the condition and overall neglect of pavements and public spaces in the city centre, which, she says, are “black with dirt.”

“I was genuinely saddened by the current state of our city,” explained Natalie Lambert. “The condition of the brand new pavements throughout O’Connell Street and Thomas Street are black with dirt and no sight of any cleaning being down around bins.”

She said she cannot recall a time that she's observed consistent street cleaning taking place, despite having lived in the city for over 15 years and said the issue has become more prominent since the Covid-19 pandemic. “There seems to be a complete absence of road sweepers, pavement cleaning, or even basic maintenance like tending to flowerbeds and cleaning public-facing areas such as shop windows.”

Ms Lambert acknowledged that ongoing construction and redevelopment is positive for the city centre but feels this is “somewhat undermined” by the lack of basic upkeep in the surrounding areas. “It’s hard not to feel that these efforts are being overshadowed by the neglect of the city’s day-to-day cleanliness.”

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The local resident said she is also concerned by “the apparent lack of visible action or leadership” in addressing this ongoing issue. “There appears to be no structured or consistent effort to ensure our city is clean and welcoming, for both residents and tourists.”

Ms Lambert suggested partnering with employment programmes, to offer meaningful work in street cleaning, gardening, or city beautification projects. She also thinks power washing should be done in the city on a monthly basis.

Responding to a query, Limerick City and County Council said they provide a city centre street cleaning service 365 days per year which begins at 7am daily.

This service includes a number of different activities as follows: Washing of public pavements and public realm areas.

Council crews carry out this work on a continuous basis, contractors are also engaged to carry out night-time power washing works when necessary and city centre litter bins are emptied daily.

City centre streets are swept daily and litter picks are carried out daily.

Illegal waste is removed daily and graffiti on public property is removed when necessary.

In addition extra resources are put in place to carry out cleansing works during events such as concerts, sporting events, festivals and parades.