Major new housing development planned for landmark Limerick site

PLANNING permission is to be sought for a new residential development on Limerick's northside on land which has lain idle for over a decade.

Developers are seeking the green light to redevelop the former Ardhú site off North Circular Road/Ennis Road.

As part of the proposed development, 167 new apartments are planned across five new blocks. This is in addition to four apartments that will be development at the former Ardhu House and seven two-story homes that will also be built. 

Limerick Live last year revealed that a masterplan had been started at the site, with Conack Construction starting material refurbishment of the existing residential building in place.

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The man behind the project is Aidan Brooks, of luxury property development firm Tribeca Holdings, who purchased the almost 4.8-acre site in 2018 from Nama for a reported €6.2m.

He followed it up with the purchase of the old public house on the property.

It had lain idle since 2010 when the Clarion Suites closed down. Prior to that, it was the Limerick Ryan Hotel up until that premises closed in 2003.

When Conack staff moved on site last year, architects Henry J Lyons began work on preparing a masterplan for the area.

And this has paved the way for a planning notice in this week's edition of the Limerick Leader newspaper - a move which will be followed up by the formal lodging of papers with Limerick City and County Council.

The application will seek to change the use of the historic ArdHu House from commercial to residential to provide four new apartments, with non-historic extensions demolished.

These will be replaced with seven, two-storey homes, accessed by Roses Avenue.

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And the most significant part of the project will come - if plans get the green light - with the building of five new apartment blocks.

Ranging from three-storeys high to five-storeys in height, these will accommodate one, two and three-bedroomed apartments.
ArdHu House, meanwhile, will be refurbished, as will the licensed bar, and will be used as a facility for those living at the site.

It's proposed this premises will include a gym, a co-working space, dining, cinema and games room.

In terms of the housing blocks, the first one will comprise of 46 apartments - 17 of these will be one-bedroomed, 29 two-bedroomed.

The second block, which will tower up five-storeys, will be home to 26 apartments.

Twelve of these will be one-bedroomed, 13 two-bedroomed, while there will be one with three bedrooms.

Block number three will, according to the plans, contain 24 apartments - 15 one-bed, and nine two-bed.

The fourth block will have 25 apartments - 11 one-bed and 14-two bed.

On top of this, there will be one, one-bedroomed duplex, and one, three-bedroomed duplex.

There have been a number of previous attempts to transform the site in recent years, but none of these have seen the light of day.

Mr Brooks will be hoping to buck that trend, and bring life back to the area.