University of Limerick starts work on new city centre campus

The new campus, located at the former Dunnes Stores site on Sarsfield Street, could be ready for use by October

The University of Limerick bought the Dunnes Stores site on Sarsfield Street in Limerick for €8m in 2019. File picture: Brendan Gleeson

University of Limerick (UL) on Monday announced the start of works on a new city centre campus to be located at the former Dunnes Stores site on Sarsfield Street.

A portion of the building’s first floor will be dedicated to creating a new space for an innovation lab, the UL FabLab, a digital fabrication laboratory founded in 2012, the +CityxChange project focused on the research and innovation of “smart cities and communities”, and a community engagement lab.

The new campus will also include a new access lift and ramp on the Sarsfield Street entrance of the building, new doors and a full refurbishment of the first-floor area.

The new campus will also include a new access lift and ramp on the Sarsfield Street entrance of the building, new doors and a full refurbishment of the first-floor area. File picture: Brendan Gleeson

Following a full tendering process, this initial phase of the project is said to cost €650,000, which will be funded by existing funding of €750,000 from the Urban Regional Development Fund.

The purchase of the former Dunnes Stores has come under scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee, with questions raised about the price paid for the site.

Originally purchased by UL in May 2019 for about €8m, it was since revealed that the site was valued at just €3m only two years previously.

Speaking at the announcement of the new city campus, UL president Professor Kerstin Mey said she was “delighted” that works have started on the city centre site.

She said, “This is truly the start of a significant new chapter in the university’s history and one that we are very excited about. It will be wonderful to see it start to take shape.

“The university is deeply committed to Limerick and the city centre campus will reflect both the academic excellence we are known for as well as being a vital extension of our beautiful campus in the heart of the city. The site is large, but our ambition for it is even greater."

It is hoped these initial works will be completed by October 2021.