Over six in every 10 people ‘would not live in Limerick city centre’

MORE than six in every 10 people would not live in the city centre given the choice, a new survey from Limerick Chamber has revealed.

The business group presented the data as part of a major new report focused on how to improve Limerick’s urban area.

Put together by Chamber chief economist Sean Golden, over 500 people were surveyed across Limerick city and county, responding to an open invitation to take part from the group.

And the survey revealed that while 39% would live in the city centre, the remaining 61% of those asked would not.

The biggest reason for this was safety concerns, with 39% of people asked saying this would deter them from living in the centre.

Some 55% of people who took part in the survey have a negative attitude towards the city centre.

Meanwhile, more than one-third of those who took part in the survey said they prefer to do their shopping at the Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle, as opposed to the city centre.

Almost half of these people, 47%, cite a lack of variety of shops in the urban area, with concerns also around a perceived lack of parking, anti-social behaviour and traffic congestion.

The stark figures have led to the Chamber issuing 63 recommendations to the government and other agencies focused on how to improve life in the city centre.

Its president Miriam O’Connor said: “Limerick Chamber unequivocally supports the development of the city centre as not only a place to do business, but also as a place to live, work and be educated. A place where people can live their whole lives if they do desire.

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“However,” she acknowledged, “the Chamber’s ambition for a vibrant, thriving city centre boasting medieval and Georgian architecture is detached from the reality of our current city centre.”

Among the recommendations coming from the report is that gardai be redeployed from the courthouse in Mulgrave Street to O’Connell Street.

A call was made on Government to extend the tax incentive scheme put in place to make it more rewarding to redevelop former Georgian buildings in the city centre.

And the Chamber is also recommending that a planning policy be put in place where all new city centre developments, whatever they may be, must have some element of housing within them.

The report calls for financial support to be given to the Market Trustees to potentially cover the Milk Market.

“Currently, the Milk Market is one of the largest venues for concerts and other events in the city centre. However, if the Milk Market was fully covered, it would have the capacity to host conferences and indoor events, adding to the regional venue offering,” the report states.

On Cruises Street, one of the shopping areas of the city that has seen the most decline over the years, the Chamber wants to see lessons learnt from how Kildare Village has maintained its popularity.

It believes despite its decline, the street has a bright future - but there needs to be “drastic action quickly, or problems will become more embedded and harder to tackle.”

The report referred to data collected from last year’s census, which suggested the proportion of people speaking Irish in the city centre is low.

“Worryingly low”, said the Chamber.

“However, it provides Limerick with the potential to put a strategy together to boost Irish speaking and put Limerick on a path to become Ireland’s first Urban Gaeltacht.”

The Chamber wants the local authority to look again at the demand for general office space and demand for commercial space.

It comes amid the rise of working-from-home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We must learn from Dublin's mistakes where they may have overdeveloped office space at the expense of residential space and now, with the market in Dublin cooling, there is the potential for a cliff edge,” the report warns.