Major update issued on €200m development in Limerick

CONSTRUCTION of the €200m Opera centre development in Limerick is set to get under way, it's been announced.

Limerick Twenty Thirty, the council company charged with delivering the massive project on lands behind Patrick Street in the city centre revealed that work to support the 450,000 square foot of buildings and a public space is set to start in the coming weeks.

Staff of the main contractor John Sisk and Sons are set to roll onto the site to kick off the work which will anchor the whole development.

It comes less than one month after Limerick Twenty Thirty announced the signing of contracts for both the basement works and the development of one of the landmark builds on the site, One Opera Square.

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This will contain 10,000 square metres of office space, plus 960 square metres of retail and 430 square metres of restaurant/café use at ground level.

A team of 20 construction workers are gearing up for the initial basement piling programme, with employment on site to increase to a peak of around 200 by the end of the year as construction advances.

After the completion of the two-year site demolition and enabling works – the biggest such programme ever undertaken in Limerick – this first phase of construction will be followed by further contracts, for the new City Library, the 14-storey OPW Building and the public realm which will commence in the first half of next year.

It's anticipated the basement and One Opera Square contract, which will take two years to complete, will be broken into two distinct stages.

The first is the development of the four-acre basement itself and the second is the construction of the One Opera Square building, which will be built to top sustainability standards.

On top of this, the massive scheme will see the building of a five-storey building at the corner of Patrick Street and Ellen Street.

This will comprise a hotel as well as retail at ground and basement levels.

Sixteen Georgian buildings will be restored and redeveloped, with a new refurbished, adapted and reused Granary Building at Michael Street.

Limerick Twenty Thirty chief executive David Conway said that the team is focused on ensuring during the construction phase that local community and businesses benefit.

The Considerate Contractor Scheme, which is a construction code of construction practice aimed at enhancing the impact of the construction industry and leaving a positive legacy, is being adopted in the works programme, while contractor Sisk has also appointed a Liaison Officer responsible for ensuring the public are kept informed on upcoming works and who will act as the point of contact with the public on any issues that may arise.

He said: “We are not alone delivering a transformational project for the city and region but one that will be built to the very highest international standards. It will be in keeping with standards in place in the world’s leading business hubs. We want to attract the world’s best to Limerick, so we are delivering a best-in-class commercial hub. We are also really focused on ensuring that the project will be delivered with best building practices so that the impact on the city and neighbours will be minimised."

Mr Conway admitted there will be some impact to the public, "but this will be as little as possible."

The contractors have agreed to monitor their activity and its impact on the environment. Noise, vibration and dust monitors will be set up around the perimeter of the site to ensure emissions targets are being kept to.

A waste management strategy is also being implemented to minimise waste to landfill.

Marcus Carne, managing director of John Sisk and Son's regional building team says the firm "will work with local stakeholders in Limerick city centre to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum during the critical phase of piling works at Opera Square. Through the Considerate Constructors Scheme we will strive to create a real lasting legacy in Limerick city centre.”