Plan to redevelop former landmark Limerick hotel

A LANDMARK former Limerick hotel could be brought back to life for the first time in six years if new plans get the go-ahead.

The Railway Hotel ceased trading in 2016 and has been out of use since then, with vandals hitting the premises last year.

Now, developers have signalled their intention to redevelop the premises, located at the junction between Parnell Street and Davis Street.

Signature Trustees Ltd and Mark McMahon have lodged a planning application seeking permission to change the use of the 30-bedroom hotel to student residences.

The neighbouring McEnerys shop, which closed around the same time as the hotel, is slated for demolition, and will be replaced with a three-storey building in Parnell Street and a seven-storey unit into Davis Street.

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Overall, the mammoth development would provide 116 bed spaces in a mix of six studio apartments and 19 apartments.

A ground-floor cafe is planned at Parnell Street, with a laundrette accessible via a courtyard.

The developer has lodged the application with Limerick City and County Council, but it has deemed invalid on a small technicality. They have a further five weeks to lodge fresh papers.

A protected structure, the hotel first opened in 1871 as an old coach inn, standing opposite the city’s railway station.

As well as being targetted by vandals last year, the 150-year-old building was the subject of a council derelict sites notice, the local authority bidding to see action in the space.