Top architect tells Limerick people: 'Go out there and grab your city back'

LEADING architect Hugh Wallace has told Limerick people: "go out there and grab your city back".

Mr Wallace was the keynote speaker at Limerick Civic Trust's annual Christmas dinner for the business community, which was held for the first time in three years.

Number One Pery Square played host to the event, which was attended by more than 80 people, and saw the award-winning architect, well-known for being a judge on RTE's Home of the Year, talk up the city.

"Limerick for me has changed as a city so much. It's amazing to walk around the city. It's great to re-engage, and great to look up. I'm a real believer in looking up. If you look up in Limerick, it's stunning. the architecture is stunning, the rhythms are stunning. You're so lucky to have so much of your Georgian heritage in the city. Unfortunately, it needs love and cuddling and attention," he told the audience.

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"It's a gem of a city. Truly. I look around and think, gosh, what a fabulous city. You just need to grab it. I know that's difficult, but it can be grabbed, it needs to be grabbed," he added.

People need to live in city centres to make them "vibrant, attractive and fun," Mr Wallace argued.

But he said there is huge "frustration" on how difficult it can be to transform Georgian buildings into living spaces.

"I think one thing we all have in common is frustration - frustration in the ability to achieve, and deal with the whole issue of building regulations. Not being able to take one of these magnificent buildings and be able to divide it into a two-bed, a one-bed and two-bed, so there are three residential units within this building for today's population, today's size of family. We need to find a way to overcome this," he said.

He called for the removal of VAT from all owner/occupier properties, and the writing-off of the tax when it comes to energy efficiency grants, resulting in a higher return for any homeowner.

Mr Wallace said the only sustainable way is to remain living in urban areas.

"We can predict our ageing population, where they are going to live. How many people will be in the country, what they will be doing. We should be building for them now. We should mot be abandoning our cities, towns, city centres and our villages. In my view, in Ireland, we are adlibbing. We are paying lip service. If we are to be truly sustainable, we must live in the streets behind us," he argued.

As for the planning system, he described it as "grounding to a halt".

"It's open to the most perverse hold-ups and stoppages. The board [An Bord Pleanala] now say they will get back to you between 14 and 16 months. It's outageous. In my opinion, it won't be fixed because the political system is run on a five year cycle. Therefore we need a competing national authority which has a 20 year plan to deliver for a future everyone knows is going to happen," he said.

In an appeal to the Limerick populace, he concluded: "Please go out there and grab your city back."