An Taisce opposes plans to change disused Limerick hotel into student accommodation

The developer is seeking to build a three-storey building on Parnell Street which will rise to seven storeys on Davis Street towards the rear

The Railway Hotel, Limerick, in 2003. An Taisce has submitted an appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the recent decision of Limerick City and County Council to grant planning permission for the change of use of the disused hotel on Parnell Street opposite the city’s train station and an adjoining shop to student residences. File picture: Kieran Clancy

A leading heritage body has claimed plans to transform a former hotel in Limerick city centre into a student accommodation facility with 116 bed spaces will have a negative impact on the city’s Georgian character.

An Taisce has submitted an appeal to An Bord Pleanála against the recent decision of Limerick City and County Council to grant planning permission for the change of use of the disused Railway Hotel on Parnell Street opposite the city’s train station and an adjoining shop to student residences.

The developer, Signature Trustee Services, is seeking to develop a three-storey building on Parnell Street which will rise to seven storeys on Davis Street towards the rear of the development. The new building will also incorporate a ground floor café on Parnell Street and a laundry.

However, An Taisce’s head of strategy, Ian Lumley, claimed the height of the new building will have an adverse impact on other buildings in the area, in particular on the historic railway station that dates from 1848.

“The proposed building will be the first sight that meets the eye on arrival at Limerick station and, should it go ahead, it will not be a pretty one,” said Mr Lumley.

An Taisce said it holds the view that the scale of Limerick’s Georgian city should be respected because of its significance which is unique in provincial Ireland. It claimed buildings in excess of six storeys should be confined to the city’s docklands or the proposed Colbert Quarter.

Mr Lumley questioned if the project was “trying to accommodate just too many units within a constricted sight”. He also expressed concern about the lack of residential amenities in the development.

“It is not good enough to say that the residents can treat the People’s Park or the stone benches on the adjacent railway station forecourt as their main outdoor social area,” said Mr Lumley.

An Taisce’s Limerick branch claimed the proposed development is overbearing on the Railway Hotel which is a protected structure. An Taisce expressed concern that the design of the building could add to the existing problem of illicit drinking, drug taking and prostitution in Mews Lane at the back of the site.

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The organisation also stressed that it was committed to supporting initiatives for increasing housing levels in Limerick city and county, including student accommodation.

Mr Lumley, said An Taisce had welcomed the project because of its potential to contribute significantly to the renewal and revitalisation of a major arrival point into the city, while also adding significantly to the city’s housing stock.

Council planners appraised the plans for the site and concluded it was “a well-designed building” which would “only serve to enhance the overall aesthetic of the area in question.” 

They said the proposed development was “in harmony with the existing building” and the new elements had taken account of the historical significance, character and unique features of the existing hotel.

The council also noted the new student residence was being located in a part of the city centre that had experienced high vacancy, dereliction and neglect. The developer claimed the proposed building would have “a distinctive character” which would provide a new life to the existing hotel building.

A ruling on the case by An Bord Pleanála is due towards the end of November.