Residents near Thomand Park told: name your price
Householders who live alongside the world-famous ground have been told by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and Munster branch “to name your price” for their homes.
Earlier talks had broken down.
IRFU and Munster branch representatives held emergency meetings recently in an effort to buy 16 homes at 13-28 Knockalisheen Road.
One source said: “An offer was put to them and it will be considered over the next few weeks. They have been told to come back to us with how much they want for their homes.”
The homeowners were told at a private meeting in Thomond Park to state their asking price.
One said: “We were sent a letter to meet them individually after the bank holiday weekend. At the meeting in Thomond Park, the three people we met told us to come and name our price.
“They told us to ring them with our asking price for our homes by last Friday and they said they would be back to us within three weeks.”
Previously, the IRFU offered residents a “final non-negotiable offer” of €200,000 for each of the houses. It is believed some of the residents have now informed the IRFU they want in excess of €350,000 for their homes.
In mid-October, the Munster branch IRFU Development Committee appointed ARUP Consulting Engineers to conduct a feasibility study in the Limerick area with regard to the provision of a 26,000-seater stadium.
The company was asked to investigate four possible sites which included Thomond Park and a site at the University of Limerick.
The IRFU had previously hoped to buy the 16 homes to facilitate the redevelopment of Thomond Park.
Some of the affected residents have lived at Knockalisheen Road for over 50 years.
“When we met them last week, they told us they had started off on the wrong foot and to go home and think about what our homes were worth. They said they did not want to put any pressure on us and that they would take care of the legal fees and tax if we would sell,” said a Knockalisheen Road resident.
Thomond Park was the scene where Munster famously defeated the touring All-Blacks team in 1978.
