Boost for €200m 'Opera Site' development in Limerick

The commercial development will include a new public square

A long-awaited €200m development of part of Limerick city centre, described as the “Opera Site”, will begin in the autumn, and create 3,000 jobs which it’s hoped will “kick-start” the city’s “Covid-19 economic recovery”.

The site was acquired by Limerick City Council in 2011 after a previous plan to develop it failed during the mid-2000s economic crash, and was subsequently handed over to Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC – a development company set up and owned by the Council.

Planning permission for the iconic project was granted by An Bord Pleanála in February of this year following an Oral Hearing.

The announcement today of the appointment of Cogent Associates, which oversaw Central Bank and Google’s EMEA HQ project, as the Opera Site’s project managers, is seen as a significant step forward in commencing the development.

Limerick 2030 chief executive David Conway said the development “will trigger the most important and timely economic stimulant of modern times in the city, and allow Limerick to kick-start the Covid-19 economic recovery”.

With works at Opera Site set to commence in the autumn, we’re happy to announce Cogent Associates, as the successful tenderer for the key role of Integrated Project Management of this project.

More Info: https://t.co/LEIGuLG0lY#Limerick pic.twitter.com/N7zJG6J4Pn

— Limerick Twenty Thirty (@limerick_2030) August 26, 2020

The 3.7-acre “mixed-use” development promises to be a landmark commercial development “to reflect Limerick’s status as a leading destination for inward investment”.

The project is fully funded thanks in the main to loans from the European Investment Bank and the Council of European Development Bank - the largest ever EIB support for urban investment in Ireland - and will be delivered over a six-year period to world-class standards.

It’s hoped the massive development, which will include a new public square with pedestrian links to the city, will place Limerick as an attractive location for companies exiting the UK due to Brexit.

Once valued at over €100m at the height of the boom the Council purchased the site for €12m in 2011 following the economic crash.

Managing Director of Cogent Associates Kevin James said no other location in the country will have a project of the transformational potential of Opera and commencing on site this year.