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05 Sept 2025
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05 Sept 2025
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An artist's impression of the proposed extension
THE Limerick Chamber of Commerce CEO has said that the city centre urgently needs investment, in an objection to the Crescent Shopping Centre’s plans to add to its “Restaurant Quarter” vision.
Liffey Blue Arc UC submitted plans to develop a two-storey restaurant and a community hub complex on December 18, and received the planning authority’s go-ahead on April 17.
The development, which will be built adjacent to Milano’s and Subway near McDonald’s, will be the largest expansion to the shopping complex since the early 2000s. The new restaurant has not been named but is a global restaurant chain with locations in Ireland but not yet in Limerick, planning files state.
Objecting to the restaurant development, Limerick Chamber of Commerce CEO, Dee Ryan said that additional competition from an increased retailer at the Dooradoyle shopping centre “will likely exacerbate this issue and weaken efforts to re-establish the city centre at the top of the retail hierarchy”.
“A key objective of Limerick Chamber is to foster and develop a strong and vibrant city at the centre of the region, as a matter of priority. While Limerick Chamber welcomes all retail development to the Limerick region, it has a preference at this time to see new retailers setting up operations in the city centre in the first instance, rather than in the suburbs.”
Ms Ryan said that city centre retail is “currently under strain from increased online shopping activity and decreased footfall”.
She added: “The Chamber contends that investment in city centre redevelopment is required as a matter of urgency, to attract new retailers to our city hub as their primary initial location choice within the region.”
Planning consultants John Spain Associates submitted that the development intends to provide improved facilities for the shopping centre, as well as catering services for 1,500 staff in the shopping complex. It added that the development will provide an “improved active edge” to the City Mall.
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