Estimated Cost
of St. Mary's Park Regeneration:
| Public Sector
Investment |
€299.6
million
|
| Private Sector
Investment |
€425.8
million
|
| Total |
€725.4
million
|
Extract from the
'Master' Plan for St. Mary's Park:
5.3.4.5 Housing
The aim is to provide a high quality, sustainable, family-friendly,
urban residential environment that caters for the full spectrum
of social and economic family profiles. Challenges include:
- Transforming the
perception of St. Mary's Park as a socially disadvantaged,
physically sub-standard and crime-ridden ghetto to one of
a safe, model, urban riverside residential development.
- Convincing house
buyers that the convenience of urban living combined with
an exceptional natural environment -is a desirable alternative
to the currently available and preferred options of suburbia,
or commuting from nearby villages, or one-off sites in the
countryside.
The design of the
residential environment will conform to current best practice
and government policy as outlined in:
- Quality Housing
for Sustainable Communities -
Best Practice Guidelines for Delivering Homes, Sustaining
Communities.
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
2007
- Sustainable Urban
Housing -Design Standards for Apartments. Consultation draft
guidelines for Local Authorities
Department of the
Environment, Heritage and Local Government 2007
The majority of the
housing will have own door access i.e. townhouses or duplex.
Those without ground
floor gardens will have external private open space in the form
of a roof deck or balcony. Each neighbourhood will have its
own park/ children's play areas in addition to being within"
two blocks east- west of the Special Area of Conservation or
Verdant Promenade; five minutes from the Island Place Community
Centre, Gooseneck Park Sports and Recreational Centre.
There will be a robust
and strategic management system for maintaining the public realm,
developing community spirit and identity, and dealing with anti-
social behaviour and crime (the latter in a highly integrated
strategy with the Gardai).
Mix: In keeping with
the principle of sustainability, the Plan allows for the widest
possible mix of family types, in their life-cycles from young
singles to elderly dependents, and in their needs and aspirations,
socially and economically.
The Plan presumes
that residential is the pre-dominant use in the Abbey, Athlunkard
and Bastion Quarters, supported in each case by a local shop,
crèche and kiddies playground.
Prototype Housing
Block
The prototype housing
block illustrates in more detail how a typical block in Abbey
Quarter can accommodate a mix of terraced, single-family houses,
duplexes, work-live units and apartments (click
here to view)
All housing clusters
should be designed to 'Secure by Design' or equivalent standards
and make a clear distinction between public fronts and private
backs, allowing for secure gardens, parking and an overlooked,
safe public realm. 100% of building frontages should face on
to the street and there should be an involvement of a Police
Architectural Liaison Officer (PALO) or Crime Reduction Design
Officer (CRDO) or other specialist.
To view
the complete 'Master' Plans,"Limerick Regeneration:
A Vision For Moyross, Southill & Ballinacurra Weston and
St. Mary's Park" click
here
