LIMERICK REGENERATION Agencies chief executive Brendan Kenny yesterday expressed confidence that in spite of the recession, funding would be secured to complete a €924 million renewal plan as the sod was turned to allow construction work begin on the first phase.
Deputy mayor of Limerick, Cllr Kevin Kiely, watched by Mr Kenny and his team, officially started the work on a €4.7 million project which involves building 33 houses and apartments at Cliona Park in Moyross, in the first phase of regeneration.
Mr Kenny said the Cliona Park project to build 20 apartments for older people and 13 houses for families is expected to be completed by October 2012, while a second project to build 33 apartments in Southhill is due to start before the end of the year and finish by autumn 2013.
With a background of concentrated social problems and emerging gangland crime in certain parts of the city, the Limerick regeneration idea stems from an incident in September 2006 when two children were badly burned in a petrol bomb attack in Moyross.
The incidence caused national outrage and prompted the then Fianna Fáil-PD government to set up a special initiative to address social exclusion and crime in the city.
Limerick Regeneration Agencies were established in June 2007. In October 2008 a 10-year programme was launched with a promise to demolish 3,000 homes and rebuild 2,400, with the State contributing €1.6 billion towards the €3 billion regeneration cost.
In February last year, the then minister for defence, Willie O’Dea, confirmed to The Irish Times that the State couldn’t afford to spend the original €1.6 billion planned for the scheme. Two months later, a revised scheme costing the State €924 million was unveiled.
Yesterday, Mr Kenny expressed confidence that the €924 million funding would be secured and he pointed out that all the principal elements of the original plan have been retained and will be delivered upon once planning for the various elements is obtained.
“Some people have described the announcement last year that €924 million was being spent instead of €1.6 billion as a dilution but we don’t accept that. That €924 million figure followed an assessment of the overall project and all the key elements remain,” he said.
“That reassessment took account of the reduction in construction costs so, for example, the project which is starting today at Cliona Park was previously costed three years ago at over €7 million whereas today, it’s going to cost €4.7 million.”
Mr Kenny said that the Limerick Regeneration Agencies will be able to deliver the same projects, including a €45 million new road into Moyross, at a reduced cost though he conceded that the regeneration project may take longer than was originally envisaged.
He said that while all the developments included in the first €337 million phase of the regeneration will start on schedule, some may take longer than expected to complete and he would expect the first phase to finish by late 2015 rather than the original late 2014 date. Mr Kenny’s comments were echoed by Independent councillor John Gilligan who was mayor of Limerick when the regeneration project was launched in 2008 and who welcomed yesterday’s sod-turning in Moyross.
“The current Government have given a commitment that there won’t be any cutting back on the €924 million regeneration which reflects the drop in construction costs and I will certainly be holding them to that commitment,” he said.
