Limerick Council paid €121,876 for two 'parklets'

Cost of Limerick's premium parking-space sized green area was more than eight times that of Cork's pilot parklet 

The parklet on O'Connell St, Limerick. Picture: Brian Arthur

Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) spent €121,876 on just two 'parklets' in 2020.

By comparison, Cork City Council's ten parking space-sized leisure areas came in at €25,000 each. Cork City Council previously spent €9,500 on its first parklet in 2019.

Information released by the LCCC following a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request from the Irish Examiner shows the parklet in Limerick installed on O'Connell St cost €78,501, while the Catherine St parklet cost €43,375.

Meanwhile, ten parklets will be installed across Cork city centre, Ballincollig, Douglas, Shandon, Glanmire, and Blarney, with each costing €25,000.

The mini green areas are seen as a cost-effective way to create more vibrant streets, support local business, and provide an inviting green space for residents and passers-by to sit, relax, and interact.

A spokesperson for Cork City Council said that due to the public health restrictions, just one of the ten new parklets has been installed to date, on South Mall, by the Imperial Hotel.

“Installation of the remainder will take place when construction is allowed to commence again and the South Mall parklet will also be planted up,” they added.

A further parklet has been in place in front of Cork Flower Studio on Douglas St, since July 2019, and was completed using a grant of €9,500, with the balance of the parklet’s costs absorbed through community and voluntary labour, Cork City Council explained.

“The Douglas St parklet has been extremely well received,” the Cork City Council spokesperson added.

The O'Connell St parklet cost €78,501. Picture: Brian Arthur

The primary contractor which supplied the parklets in Limerick was Maramba Road Services Ltd, a Limerick-based company, while OMOS Ltd supplied planter boxes and landscaping works was provided by Core Landscaping Ltd.

Meanwhile, in September 2020, Cork City Council issued an open call to for ‘Parklet Partners’ under a new scheme.

The delivery of the parklets was an approved partnership agreement with Benchspace Cork CLG, a not-for-profit workspace which provides affordable access to workbenches and high-end machinery to hobbyists, makers and designers alike.

In a letter to Benchspace, Cork City Council outlined the reasons it was chosen to deliver the project.

This includes the two organisations sharing a common objective in terms of training and skills development. Another factor was Benchspace being a not-for-profit organisation, its track record in community engagement and its previous history in delivering the Douglas St parklets in partnership with the local community. 

Limerick City and County Council did not respond to requests for comment.