Planning application for Limerick Opera site lodged with An Bord Pleanála

Plans for Limerick's Opera site project have moved a step closer today.

Limerick City and County Council has lodged a planning application to An Bord Pleanála for the development.

The project is expected to employ up to 3,000 people and will be the largest inner-city commercial development outside of Dublin.

As well as a 14-storey office building, there are also plans for an apart-hotel, restaurants, and retail space.

The 1.62-hectare site will be developed over a six-year period at a total cost of around €180m.

It is fully funded by the European Investment Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank.

The site was acquired by the then Limerick City Council in 2011 after a previous plan to develop it collapsed during the crash.

James Collins, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick, said: “With regard to the wider regeneration of Limerick, this is the project that we’ve been waiting for more than any.

After stalling before while in private ownership, it has finally arrived, I’m delighted to say, at this key stage.

“We had the opening of Gardens International this week and that set a new standard in terms of office space for Limerick. Opera is six times the size and will be the single most transformational project this decade in any city in Ireland.”

Conn Murray, Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council, said: “Getting Opera to this key stage is a big moment for Limerick and the region, one we’ve waited a long time for.

“Opera will be the biggest economic catalyst for our city in decades and the knock-on benefit of this across all strands of our society will be enormous."

Limerick Twenty Thirty, the special purpose vehicle company established by Limerick City and County Council to develop key strategic sites in the city, welcomed today's news.

“The Opera Site will be a huge addition to the economic, social and structural make-up of Limerick," said CEO of Limerick Twenty Thirty David Conway.

"It will finally see the potential of this magnificent site in the heart of Limerick city maximised, it will bring huge numbers of jobs into the heart of the city with the economic impact of that being felt right across Limerick and the wider region."