Major Limerick city development starts phase one of works

PHASE one of the Cleeves Riverside Quarter regeneration project has now started with contractors preparing the site for works.

Sisk have been appointed as contractors for the project costing more than €400 million on the 10-acre site at the former Flaxmill building.

READ ALSO: New direction for popular Limerick gardens

The building itself boasts 175 years of history within the heart of the city.

Works on phase one are expected to last just over a year - 15 months.

The plan is that the once famous industrial building will be transformed into a centre for academic and student facilities.

The urban neighbourhood will have the capacity for 1,000 people, including 234 high-quality homes and 270 purpose-built student rooms.

The plans also include a creche, commercial space, and almost two acres of public realm with new parks, plazas and gardens.

The first steps will be stabilising and repair works to the roof and upper floor of the Flaxmill building.

Due to how old the building is, repairs will be conservation-led for the protected building.

Sisk have assembled a team, which includes specialised stonemasons, timber experts and ironwork professionals.

Kieran O'Donnell, Minister of State for Older People and Housing said: “The works to the Flaxmill as a protected structure are a crucial first step in unlocking the full potential of the site.”

Mayor of Limerick John Moran added: “When developed, this centrally located site has the potential to provide much-needed homes alongside a high-quality public realm offering, strengthening our city centre and creating a place that works for people now and into the future.”

James Collins, chairman of Limerick Twenty Thirty said: “This building is an integral part of the city's industrial heritage and these carefully planned stabilisation and repair works ensure it will be protected, respected and repurposed as part of a vibrant new city quarter.”

Built around 1853, the Flaxmill is a rare surviving example of nineteenth century architecture. It forms a central element of Cleeves Riverside Quarter.

In November, Limerick Twenty Thirty submitted a planning application for phase two.

Phase two represents the first major build phase of the project.

Phase one is being delivered on behalf of Limerick Twenty Thirty with funding support from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. This project follows on from Sisk's successful completion of phase one of One Opera Square.