'Cities and towns in Ireland could learn a lot from Limerick'

THE REGENERATION of Limerick city in the last decade can be likened to that of Amsterdam and Copenhagen.

That’s according to members of the world’s largest network of real estate and land use experts, who made a visit to the city this week.

They said Limerick’s renaissance over the past 10 years should be a model for other urban areas both nationally and internationally.

The Irish chapter of the Urban Land Institute - a network with more than 45,000 people worldwide tasked with promoting “responsible land use” - visited Limerick.

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It was their first visit to another city in Ireland outside Dublin, and they were impressed with what they saw.

The group came to Limerick at the invitation of Limerick Twenty Thirty, the council’s development arm tasked with transforming the Opera Centre site in Patrick Street.

During their one-day stay, they enjoyed a tour of key local landmarks from the city’s Georgian Quarter to King John’s Castle.
And they liked what they saw, with the delegation urging all involved in the regeneration of the city to “keep doing what you’re doing”.

But they added Limerick will need government support if it is to tackle the challenge of disused Georgian properties.
Urban Land Institute chair Marie Hunt said: “We’re very impressed with the road that Limerick has travelled over the last decade or so. The developments already completed here in the city centre, like Gardens International, and the ones underway like Opera Square reflect just how forward-thinking Limerick is. “

She said the “ambition” Limerick has is clear to see.
“There's a huge emphasis on placemaking, public realm, sustainability, all of the things that are hugely important both to occupiers and investors in the world we live in today and will live in tomorrow,” Ms Hunt added.

The group’s co-ordinator for Ireland Andrew Kinsella said the progress made in the city is “one of the great success stories of urban Ireland across the past decade and that it’s very evident that collaboration has been at the heart of it."

“I think it's extraordinary. It’s a long time since I was in Limerick but what strikes me about it is there is a ‘whole of city’ approach to everything, a level of collaboration between the public sector and private sector that we don’t hear enough about in Ireland. It's interesting that we often refer to cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen and we look abroad for great examples. And as someone from Dublin, what strikes me is Limerick has an awful lot going on here that I think other cities and towns in Ireland could learn from,” he added.

The chief executive of Limerick Twenty Thirty David Conway said: “This was a very important visit for us because it was an opportunity to showcase Limerick, our progress and, indeed, road-test our plans for the future to the Irish representatives of the largest network of property and land use experts in the world. It was a hugely encouraging visit as they were really taken by what we have done and what we intend to do. At the same time, they made it clear to us that this will count for nothing if we don’t deliver. It’s all about delivery and this visit has certainly reaffirmed that to us.”

Vincent Murray, director of Planning, Environment and Place-Making, Limerick Council added: “It’s very important for us here in Limerick to learn from best practice in other parts of the world and other cities, and to be able to apply that here so that we can deliver a European city of scale that's very attractive for investment.”