THE REGENERATION of one of the State’s oldest housing estates got under way in Limerick yesterday when workers moved in to demolish houses in the St Mary’s Park estate.
It is one of four housing estates in Limerick city included in the €3.1 billion regeneration project which, since 2007, has led to the demolition of 250 homes in Moyross, Southill and Weston areas.
The demolition of 1 Columcille Street in St Mary’s Park began at 9am yesterday. Up to 20 houses in the area could be knocked by the end of the year to facilitate the building of new houses in 2010.
Built in 1935, St Mary’s Park is one of the oldest housing estates in the State and is located in a historic part of the city close to King John’s Castle that is known as the “island field”.
The estate comprises in the region of 465 houses and was the State’s first major public housing initiative in Limerick.
The last resident at the property which was demolished yesterday was Geraldine Long, who now lives in Corbally, but was there when workers began the demolition.
“I’m a bit sad because we had lovely neighbours and it was a lovely place to live and we had happy times in the house, so it is sad to see it being knocked,” Ms Long said.
Jason Murphy of the housing department at Limerick City Council said yesterday marked an important step for the regeneration of Limerick.
“This is a milestone for St Mary’s Park in terms of regeneration, but it is a milestone for the city as well, given the community that’s here and the strong community in St Mary’s Park,” Mr Murphy said.
“It’s a big step for the residents and we are delighted we have had huge support from them. We have identified six to eight houses but by the end of the year, we may have 15 houses taken down.”
Mayor of Limerick John Gilligan has welcomed the beginning of the demolition.
It is believed that €725 million is needed for the regeneration of St Mary’s Park.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Metro West and Luas extension plan 'delayed indefinitely'
PLANS to build Dublin's proposed Metro West line and the Luas line from Lucan to the city centre have been delayed indefinitely due to budgetary difficulties.
The government has removed the construction and opening target dates for both projects from its latest progress report for potential developers, stating that these were now "under review".
The report also said the construction start and completion dates for both projects were now subject to the "public consultation, statutory planning process, PPP procurement process and funding availability".
Previous updates had indicated that Metro West would be completed by 2014 while the Lucan Luas line was due to have been finished by 2015.
The revelation comes just weeks after transport minister Noel Dempsey reaffirmed his commitment to building the next two phases of the Western Rail Corridor in advance of next month's local elections.
These phases, which run between Athenry and Claremorris, still have firm target dates, even though many commentators believe they are unlikely to attract significant numbers of passengers; a similar stretch of line between Waterford and Limerick Junction is dubbed the "ghost train" in railway circles.
Mark Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland said the two phases were "a political potato" and that the apparent granting of priority to them over Metro West in particular raised issues about the government's decision-making.
Gleeson said Metro West was an important project for Dublin because it was an orbital route which would connect Metro North, the capital's railway lines and the proposed Luas lines without forcing passengers into the city centre to change services.
"It's worry that people are not taking a clinical view of projects in light of the budgetary issues involved. This decision raises serious questions about whether projects are being prioritised in a fair and transparent manner," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport admitted that the target dates for Metro West and the Lucan Luas had been dropped. She claimed, however, that the projects hadn't been delayed and said the Railway Procurement Agency had been told to seek planning permission.
"Once these projects have the necessary planning permission, progress can be made on their delivery as economic circumstances allow," she said. "This will be decided on a case-by-case basis as projects become 'shovel ready'."
She added Metro North was a priority for the minister.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
The government has removed the construction and opening target dates for both projects from its latest progress report for potential developers, stating that these were now "under review".
The report also said the construction start and completion dates for both projects were now subject to the "public consultation, statutory planning process, PPP procurement process and funding availability".
Previous updates had indicated that Metro West would be completed by 2014 while the Lucan Luas line was due to have been finished by 2015.
The revelation comes just weeks after transport minister Noel Dempsey reaffirmed his commitment to building the next two phases of the Western Rail Corridor in advance of next month's local elections.
These phases, which run between Athenry and Claremorris, still have firm target dates, even though many commentators believe they are unlikely to attract significant numbers of passengers; a similar stretch of line between Waterford and Limerick Junction is dubbed the "ghost train" in railway circles.
Mark Gleeson of Rail Users Ireland said the two phases were "a political potato" and that the apparent granting of priority to them over Metro West in particular raised issues about the government's decision-making.
Gleeson said Metro West was an important project for Dublin because it was an orbital route which would connect Metro North, the capital's railway lines and the proposed Luas lines without forcing passengers into the city centre to change services.
"It's worry that people are not taking a clinical view of projects in light of the budgetary issues involved. This decision raises serious questions about whether projects are being prioritised in a fair and transparent manner," he said.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport admitted that the target dates for Metro West and the Lucan Luas had been dropped. She claimed, however, that the projects hadn't been delayed and said the Railway Procurement Agency had been told to seek planning permission.
"Once these projects have the necessary planning permission, progress can be made on their delivery as economic circumstances allow," she said. "This will be decided on a case-by-case basis as projects become 'shovel ready'."
She added Metro North was a priority for the minister.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
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