Limerick town's working hub comes fast on the heels of €12m traffic management plan

THE official opening of Limerick’s newest addition to its network of remote-working hubs, will take place within the next number of weeks, Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin has confirmed.

The new hub, Workbase, is based in a former bank building on Main St, Abbeyfeale and has been developed under the auspices of Innovate Limerick.

“It is beyond stunning,” Maurice O’Connell, chairman of Abbeyfeale Community Council said of the newest development in the town and already bookings are being made for the state-of-the-art premises.

The project has been several years in the making but its completion is coming at a very positive juncture for the town.

Earlier this month, local councillors were told that funding prospects were good for the town’s €12m, top-of-the-range traffic management plans. Transport Infrastructure Ireland had indicated they would provide funding of €6-7m., councillors were told, while the National Transport Authority were also willing to stump up.

Cllr Liam Galvin is expecting work to begin by the end of the year once all planning issues have been secured.

Progress on the traffic plan has been warmly welcomed in Abbeyfeale, coming as it does on top of the town being included in the government’s new Town Centre First scheme.

This scheme, which was announced in December, is worth €100,000 to the town, Mr O’Connell explained.” Limerick City and County Council will now nominate a lead architect/engineer to head up the scheme. Once that person has been announced, the process will start.”

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He expects this will entail some surveying of existing buildings, and an analysis of buildings and layout as well as research. “The overall plan is to get more people to live in the town centre and to get more businesses into the town,” he said.

The finished plan will contain a series of recommendations, Mr O’Connell continued, adding that a key element is that the government has promised to release funds to implement the plan.

“Our understanding is that it will be another layer on top of the traffic management plan.”