New Limerick city development could put railway station on track

A LOCAL TD says a planned €600m development at Towlerton on the edge of Limerick city makes a case for a train station there more powerful.

Brian Leddin was speaking after the Limerick Leader revealed plans for a major new suburb on the eastern fringes of the city, near the motorway junction – and just 650 metres away from a site where a commuter railway station has been planned.

Kirkland Investments are in the process of seeking planning permissions for what would amount to a whole new neighbourhood at the brownfield site near Towlerton.

Headed up by Rudi Butler, the son of prominent city developer Robert, the firm has acquired almost 25 hectares of land.

Construction of a new Educate Together secondary school on this land is well advanced, while Bons Secours also has permission for a private hospital.

And, to add to this, a masterplan has been developed which could bring 300 apartments, offices, a Lidl supermarket and a hotel on site. Developer Rudi Butler says the massive scheme is projected to deliver up to 4,000 jobs, and he hopes it can be delivered over a five year period. Healy Partners Architects have prepared the masterplan strategy for the overall site.

“Kirkland is very excited about this development,” Rudi said. “The hospital will help to attract business to Limerick. When we try to rent offices, what people want to know is where are the schools, what schools are available? Now we will have private healthcare, it will help to attract big investment into Limerick, and it will help Kirkland fill its office blocks, and the remainder of the Towlerton development.”

ALDI spent €7.5 million with Limerick food and drink producers in 2022

The project has taken another step forward after Kirkland sought planning permission for a new five-storey medical centre which would provide private consultation rooms and diagnostics. It would operate separately to the €150m Bons Secours facility.

A separate planning application - in relation to the same wider development - showing plans for a neighbourhood centre with a new branch of discount foodstore Lidl at its heart is currently before the planning authority. Also included in this application which envisages four buildings is a cafe, 38 apartments, further units for commercial or retail use and office space.

Mr Butler believes the new neighbourhood can provide accommodation for up to 500 people, with the apartments split between one-bed, two-bed and three-bed. “The mix will be phenomenal. People will be able to live there, drop their kids to school and go onto work. If they are working in the hospital, they can drop their kids at school and walk across,” he said.

Brian Leddin TD has welcomed the development, adding: “This particular proposal is interesting because it is just 650 metres from the main railway line that connects Colbert Station with Limerick Junction. There is provision in the city’s recently published transport strategy for a new train station on that line at Ballysimon. If planned well, with the appropriate population density, the Kirkland project could support the development of the train station.”

The Green Party TD, a huge supporter of public transport reform, pointed out large employers such as Northern Trust are already in the area and the Bon Secours Hospital and the Limerick Educate Together school are under construction.

“Taken together, and with significant future development potential there, the case for a train station at Ballysimon, with regular services to and from the city centre, is strong. We have an ambitious transport strategy now, but it is important that it is seen as a land development strategy as much as it is about transport. It outlines the potential for new stations at various points, but many of these will only be viable if the land near the stations has high density development,” he added.