REVEALED: €500m masterplan for Cleeves site to make Limerick 'world-class city'

THE FUTURE of "world-class" city life, work and recreation has been unveiled in the masterplan for the iconic Cleeves Riverside Quarter in Limerick city.

With an estimated investment exceeding €500 million, this initiative aims to position Cleeves Riverside Quarter among the top European mixed-use city developments.

The masterplan for the 10-acre riverside site includes up to 290 residential units, with an option for an additional 275 student residential beds, workspaces catering to various tenants, and a waterfront office tower set to become an iconic landmark.

Up to 300 living spaces planned for old toffee factory in Limerick city

The Cleeves Riverside Quarter, known for its 142ft red-bricked chimney stack, holds historical significance as one of Ireland's largest industrial sites from the 19th century. The site was home to the famous Cleeves Toffee and the Condensed Milk Company, employing up to 6,000 workers. Furthermore, the location played a pivotal role in the Limerick Soviet of 1919.

The masterplan showcases a creative reimagining of the industrial site into a world-class campus while preserving its unique architectural heritage. Iconic buildings, such as the 15-bay, four-story Flax Mill, will be repurposed as creative workspaces and educational areas, contributing to the mix of small business leases and learning spaces. The reservoir, which supported the flax making process, will also be turned into another unique feature.

Limerick Twenty Thirty CEO David Conway highlighted the masterplan process, underlined by in-depth community engagement. He emphasised the transformative potential of Cleeves Riverside Quarter, describing it as "unique in so many ways."

Limerick Twenty Thirty chairman, Conn Murray, said: "We are already rapidly advancing on our Opera Square project, with construction now underway on what is an iconic development on the south-side of the River Shannon."

Architect Simon Carter of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, part of the design team, expressed the site's uniqueness, adding: "Our plans deliver on Limerick’s ambition and potential to become a vibrant, modern, attractive European city."

This will be the largest inner-city project ever undertaken in Limerick and one of the largest in the State. Its developer, Limerick Twenty Thirty, will in the new year seek expressions of interest, in line with the masterplan, for individual elements of the project.

Planning applications will be submitted based on agreed expressions.