Development plan · Limerick City and County Council
Limerick Development Plan 2022–2028 (as varied)
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Limerick City and County Council · 2022–2028 · 414 pages
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- Chapter 5: A Strong Economy129 5.6 National and Regional Context The Plan supports the role of Limerick’s City, towns and villages as vibrant centres, which provide a range of services for the community. The retail sector is vital to the economic, social and cultural life of Limerick. According to the Regional and Spatial Economic Strategy, in addition to being a significant employer and economic contributor, the retail sector plays a key role in place-making and creating attractive, liveable environments. The retail sector is central to strong mixed-use commercial cores, throughout the network of settlements and can play a key role in regeneration, vitality and viability of the core area. The importance of the retail sector is reflected in national and regional planning policy, which seeks to ensure that existing and new retail development is carried out in accordance with the overall principles of proper planning and sustainable development. The strategic framework for a co-ordinated and sustainable approach to retail growth in Limerick and the wider region are set out in: •• Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region; •• The Retail Strategy for the Mid-West Region 2010 – 2016; •• Retail Strategy for Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick; •• The 2012 Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities (RPGs), with its companion document, Retail Design Manual. 5.6.1 Retail Strategy for Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region required the preparation of a Joint Retail Strategy for the Metropolitan Area. The Retail Strategy for Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick forms the basis for retail planning as set out in Volume 6 of the Plan. It is an objective of the MASP to support Limerick City Centre in maintaining its dominant retail function in the Mid-West hierarchy. The RSES supports and promotes the continued expansion and enhancement of retail development within the City Centre. A key aim of the strategy is to ensure that Limerick City fulfils its role at the top of the regional hierarchy as the preferred location for new retail development. The Strategy supports the retail hierarchy and outlines the location, quantity and type of retail required in support of the settlement hierarchy of the Plan. The Strategy identifies any requirements for additional retail floor space, based on population projections and income and having regard to the degree of vacancy in existing retail areas. The retail hierarchy is set out in the Retail Strategy for Limerick – Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick as set out in Volume 6. The retail hierarchy aligns with the settlement hierarchy of the Plan. The purpose of the retail hierarchy is to indicate the level and form of retailing activity appropriate to the various centres across Limerick, to protect each centre’s vitality and viability, while allowing each centre to perform its role within the hierarchy. The hierarchy emphasises the primacy of the City Centre in accordance with the objectives of the MASP. Section 1: Retail
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028130 Table 5.1a: The Retail Hierarchy for Limerick Tier Level Location Status Tier 1 - City Centre - Limerick City Centre City Centre Tier 2 - Major Town Centres - Newcastle West Key Service Town Tier 3 - Town Centres Level 1 Abbeyfeale Service Town Level 2 Adare Service Town Kilmallock Service Town Rathkeale Service Town Tier 4- Large Villages Level 1 Castleconnell Large Villages Caherconlish Large Villages Level 2 Askeaton Large Villages Tier 5 – Local/Corner Shops - Smaller villages/ crossroads – rural shops (post offices, creameries, public houses, filling stations, etc.) Local/Corner Shops Table 5.1b: Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Retail Hierarchy Tier Level Location Status Tier 1 - City Centre - Limerick City Centre City Centre Tier 2 - Major Town Centres Level 1 Dooradoyle (Crescent shopping centre) District Centre Level 2 Caherdavin (Jetland shopping centre) District Centre Shannon (Skycourt shopping centre) Metropolitan Town Castletroy District Centre Parkway District Centre Roxboro District Centre Moyross District Centre
- Chapter 5: A Strong Economy131 5.7 Retail in Limerick 5.7.1 Retail in the City Centre and Suburbs (in Limerick) The retail sector is essential to the vitality of Limerick City Centre. The sector provides goods and services as well as employment and income for the local economy. Retail and services play a key role in placemaking and creating attractive liveable environments, enabling strong mixed-use urban cores and facilitating regeneration. Unfortunately, the retail sector in Limerick City Centre has been in decline in recent decades, with the sector migrating to the purpose built out of town shopping centres and increasingly to an online platform. The retail and services sector remains however, a significant employer and economic contributor in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area (in Limerick). An objective of the Limerick Shannon MASP is to promote the Metropolitan Area as a cohesive area, with the City Centre as the primary location at the heart of the area and region. The City Centre is to be the primary commercial area, supporting a range of retail, tourism, social and cultural activities. Limerick City Centre is to be repositioned at the top of the retail hierarchy, through improving the range and quality of shopping on offer and creating an enhanced customer experience of visiting the City Centre. The core retail area comprises Thomas Street/Bedford Row, William Street/ Sarsfield Street, O’Connell Street/Patrick Street, Cruises Street, Roches Street, Henry Street and Catherine Street. This area is anchored by the Brown Thomas department store and general stores including Dunnes Stores and Penneys, as well as the Tesco supermarket at Arthur’s Quay, which is the only purpose-built shopping centre in the City Centre. It is an objective of the Council to support improvements in the range and quality of shopping on offer, in the context of a much-improved customer experience of visiting the City Centre as a whole. A contemporary shopping offer with leisure – food, drink and entertainment at the heart of the experience. This can be achieved by improving the shopping experience in the prime shopping area – in the vicinity of Brown Thomas, Penneys, Cruises Street and Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre. This is the central City location that major multiple retailers would wish to locate in and is the focal point of the shopping quarter of Limerick. 5.7.2 Revitalising City Centre Retail In accordance with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy, the Retail Strategy for Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick will respond to the effects of suburban retail development by re-establishing the importance of Limerick City Centre at the top of the regional retail hierarchy. In this regard, Limerick City Centre is the preferred location for new retail development in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area. The closure of businesses in the City Centre has resulted in a lack of maintenance of some vacant buildings, with urban decay evident on parts of some streets. It is vital to ensure that the City Centre is suitable to attract and retain retail and other businesses. A sense of place and high quality leisure market is required in the first instance, to allow the development of a more complementary mix of retail uses to follow, including boutique clothing, tech showrooms, local agri-food produce and creative arts and crafts shops. Fostering mixed-use planning strategies, developing safe attractive and walkable areas with enhanced mobility and security will encourage people to visit the City Centre, build up a loyal customer base and set up businesses. These are cross cutting themes in the Plan.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028132 To successfully build resilience and revitalise a sustainable City Centre, the key themes in the Plan aiming to improve Limerick City’s offer and attractiveness include: 1. Ensuring a critical density of residential and workforce population in the City Centre; 2. Ease of mobility, particularly walkability and perceptions of safety; 3. Perception of the attractiveness of retail, commercial and leisure activities in the City Centre; 4. The strength of the City Centre as a destination for work and doing business; 5. The use and quality of public spaces in the City Centre, including the provision of public facilities such as public toilets, drinking water fountains and seating. The continued progression of the projects in the Limerick 2030 Plan will act as a catalyst towards the revitalisation and regeneration of the City Centre. However, the prioritisation of objectives to increase footfall, dwell time and spend are required. A City Centre Revitalisation Manager has been appointed for the professional management of a citywide public sector led approach to revitalisation of the City Centre and retail sector. Objective ECON O1 City Centre It is an objective of the Council to: a) Ensure retail development complies with the Retail Strategy for the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick as set out in Volume 6. b) Protect, promote, support and enhance the role of Limerick City Centre as the primary retail centre in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and Mid-West Region, in accordance with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Southern Region. c) Enhance the vitality of the City Centre through a mixture of uses, reuse of vacant units, increased residential population and revitalisation. Retail is an integral part of the City’s economy complementing its inherent strengths including innovation, enterprise, tourism, culture and services and has an important array of amenities, vibrancy, liveability/quality of life and quality-built environment. Development shall be designed so as to enhance the public realm and creation of a sense of place. The Retail Strategy has identified a number of key actions and recommendations to facilitate improvements to sustain the vitality and viability of the City Centre as follows: 1. Consider pedestrianisation and public realm improvements (new attractive hard landscaping) to encourage pedestrian activity within the core retail area. 2. Maintain the vitality and viability of Limerick City Centre by consolidating the core retail area to ensure any future retail development is directed towards this area in the first instance. 3. Encourage and facilitate the reuse of vacant buildings or under-utilised sites throughout the City Centre, with a focus on brownfield sites. 4. Consider improvements to the public realm within the City Centre, waterfront and consider improving pedestrian linkages to create a more pedestrian friendly environment. 5. Promote access to Limerick’s historic core through improved signage/street maps to make visitors aware of the core’s presence and location. 6. Incentivise owners to make improvements to their buildings/ shopfronts within the retail core through grant funding via the ‘Business and Retail Incentive Scheme’. 7. Adopt a pilot programme for the extension of opening hours to allow for late night shopping within the retail core, this could be scheduled to take place alongside one of the City’s major festival/events which will support the night-time economy. 8. Undertake an access audit of the
- Chapter 5: A Strong Economy133 built environment to seek to improve accessibility within the City for people with disabilities. 9. Support the retail charter for operators and landlords to sign-up to high quality goals for retail in the City Centre. 10. Support synergy with non-retail uses that attract footfall to the City Centre. 11. Work to define character areas and invest in marketing campaigns to communicate a broad City Centre experience to attract visitors and consumers. 12. Develop multi-channel synergy between retail, service and cultural offer of the City Centre. 5.7.3 Suburbs - Supporting City Centre Retail The retail centres throughout the suburbs of Limerick City serve the retail and service needs of the local population and in the case of the larger centres, the wider Mid- West Region. The success of the shopping centres in the suburbs is in contrast to the stagnation and decline of the retail sector in the City Centre. The migration of retail footfall from the City Centre to the suburbs is exacerbated by the increasing trend towards on-line retailing. The successful growth of each out of Town Centre has the potential to adversely impact on the viability and vitality of the City Centre. Therefore, planning applications for out of centre retail units in excess of 1,000m2 shall be considered in the context of a Retail Impact Assessment, demonstrating compliance with the capacity for retail floor space, the area requirements and other criteria set out in the Retail Strategy. While the role of the retail centres in the suburbs is recognised, these areas should support and compliment the role of the City Centre at the top of the retail hierarchy. The provision of retail and services in the suburbs is essential to ensure the development of sustainable communities and the vitality of the suburbs. Choice in retail and services such as pharmacies, medical facilities and food outlets has increased significantly in recent years. Convenience and comparison-shopping including retail warehousing is available throughout the suburbs. A number of District and Local Centres have developed in tandem with new residential areas. New retail floor area in the suburbs should incorporate the redevelopment of vacant commercial units. The opportunity exists for the out of Town Centres to gradually diversify with a more balanced mix of residential uses and employment spaces alongside the retail and leisure facilities. Such diversification will respect the priority of the City Centre in the Retail Hierarchy, while allowing improved integration with the surrounding land uses. Objective ECON O2 Limerick Suburbs Retail It is an objective of the Council to ensure proposals which would undermine the vitality and viability of Limerick City Centre will not be permitted. The sequential approach to retail development set out in the Retail Planning – Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 2012 will be enforced, in the interests of supporting the City Centre at the top of the retail hierarchy. Any retail development in the District or Local Centres or Retail Warehousing zone shall comply with the Retail Strategy.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028134 5.7.4 District Centres The Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle acts as a Tier 2, Level 1 centre serving as a retail destination at a regional level. There are also a number of other Tier 2, Level 2 District Centres throughout the suburbs, including the Jetland Shopping Centre, Castletroy Shopping Centre, Watch House Cross, the Parkway Shopping Centre and Roxboro Shopping Centre. The District Centres should progressively develop as mixed-use urban centres to include residential, supporting services and commercial office components where appropriate. Any proposed retail development in a District Centre shall comply with the specific objectives set out in the Retail Strategy under Volume 6 of the Plan. Objective ECON O3 District Centres It is an objective of the Council to: a) Protect and enhance the mix of services and facilities in existing District Centres, which provide for the day-to-day needs of local communities in accordance with the Retail Strategy. b) Enable development of the District Centres in accordance with the specific objectives and assessment criteria of the Retail Strategy. c) Require improvement to the quality of the public realm in any proposals for the Crescent Shopping Centre and the Castletroy Shopping Centre, including hard and soft landscaping. d) Promote improved pedestrian accessibility, permeability and safety within any proposed redevelopment works. e) Promote the redevelopment of the Roxboro Shopping Centre, enhance the overall appearance and public realm in line with the Retail Strategy for the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and County Limerick. Objective ECON O4 Dooradoyle Urban Quarter: It is an objective of the Council to: a) Promote the continued development of lands around the Dooradoyle District Centre and adjoining lands as a Strategic Employment Location through the delivery of additional office-based employment uses in a phased manner in conjunction with supporting infrastructure development. b) Promote improvements to connectivity, signage and permeability within the wider area including pedestrian and cycle facilities linking to Portland Park and provide for the link road from Dooradoyle Road to Rosbrien Road. c) Facilitate the early upgrading of the existing flood defence infrastructure, thus ensuring the long-term flood protection of the wider lands in Dooradoyle in a manner compatible with any future City-Wide Flood Relief Scheme. d) Ensure any application on lands at risk of flooding is accompanied by a Site Specific Flood Risk Assessment which shall demonstrate that any development does not result in additional significant flood risk in the area and does not impede the future delivery of a wider flood relief scheme for Limerick. This FRA shall also include a detailed Emergency Response Plan and a Breach Modelling Assessment using a methodology to be agreed in advance with LCCC. e) Require an overall framework plan/ masterplan to be prepared for the lands in advance of, or as part of, any application for a portion of the currently undeveloped lands.
- Chapter 5: A Strong Economy135 5.7.5 Local/Neighbourhood Centres Local Centres or Neighbourhood Centres are defined in the Retail Guidelines as small groups of shops typically comprising a newsagent, small supermarket/general grocery store, sub-post office and other small shops of a local nature serving a small, localised catchment population. There are a number of Local Centres throughout the suburbs of Limerick City, providing top-up (products that need replacing between main food shopping trips) and day-to-day shopping and service functions, including takeaway food. Local Centres play an important role in serving the needs of those without access to a car, particularly the elderly and constitute a sustainable provision of retailing, removing the need to travel and reducing levels of congestion. The Local Authority will support and facilitate expansion of existing Local Centres where significant additional population growth is planned, or where a demonstrable gap in existing provision is identified in accordance with the Retail Strategy. The opportunity exists for centres to gradually diversify, with a more balanced mix of residential uses and employment spaces alongside the retail and leisure facilities. Such diversification will respect the priority of the City Centre in the Retail Hierarchy, while allowing improved integration with the surrounding land uses. Objective ECON O5 Local/Neighbourhood Centres It is an objective of the Council to: a) Only consider the enlargement of existing Local/Neighbourhood Centre retail sites where it can be demonstrated that it serves a substantial residential catchment within walking distance of the centre and has a tangible urban renewal benefit for the community. Suitable floor space areas of new convenience food stores in these locations are considered to be up to 1,800m2 of net retail space. b) Promote the development of new neighbourhood centres at Mungret, Ballysimon and Old Cork Road to serve a growing population within their catchment. c) Require all proposed retail developments in Local/ Neighbourhood Centres to demonstrate compliance with the floor space capacity requirements set out in the Retail Strategy. A retail impact assessment shall be carried out for all developments in excess of 1,000 m2. d) Promote improved pedestrian accessibility, permeability and safety within any proposed development works.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028136 5.7.6 Click and Collect The Local Authority acknowledges the changing nature of the retail sector and the increasing trend towards Click and Collect type shopping. The Local Authority supports the development of such facilities at appropriate locations. Objective ECON O6 Click and Collect It is an objective of the Council to support and accommodate the growth of ‘Click and Collect’ retail services and grocery home shopping as appropriate. 5.7.7 Retailing and Motor Fuel Stations The size of the shop associated with any motor fuel station should take account of the fact that large shops can attract additional custom, large numbers of cars can cause disruption and the preferred location for retailing is in designated centres. The Retail Planning Guidelines state that the size of such retail units should not exceed 100m2. Therefore, where applications made for retail units associated with a motor fuel station are in excess of 100m2 the sequential approach to retail development will apply. Objective ECON O7 Retailing and Motor Fuel Stations It is an objective of the Council to facilitate the provision of motor fuel station shops of a maximum of 100m2 net in designated centres, subject to compliance with all relevant planning criteria including traffic safety, as set out in the Development Management Standards of this Plan. 5.7.8 Retail Warehousing A retail warehouse is a large single-level retail store specialising in the sale of bulky household goods such as carpets, tiles, furniture, electrical goods and bulky DIY items, predominantly catering for car-borne customers. A retail park generally comprises a number of such warehouses. These are a number of retail parks located in Limerick including the Ennis Road Retail Park, Parkway Retail Park and Childer’s Road Retail Park. The Retail Strategy indicates that there is limited capacity for additional retail warehousing in the City and suburbs. Objective ECON O8 Retail Warehousing It is an objective of the Council to ensure new retail warehousing floor space does not undermine the vitality and viability of Limerick City Centre. Retail warehousing shall comply with the requirements of the Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 2012 and the Retail Strategy.
- Chapter 5: A Strong Economy137 5.7.9 Key Town: Newcastle West The role of the key town of Newcastle West is to strengthen the settlement pattern and act as the main driver of economic development and provider of services within this area of Limerick. The key town will support the development of the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area and act as a base for high quality transport links to the core in accordance with the RSES. Newcastle West will therefore play a critical role in the development of Limerick and ensure a consolidated spread of growth beyond the cities to the sub-regional level. Newcastle West has been identified by the RSES as a Key Town and forms part of the Atlantic Economic Corridor, with special potential for economic growth. The RSES identifies the importance of supporting Newcastle West as a strategically located urban centre of significant sub-regional context and highlights that strong subregional interdependencies exist between Newcastle West, Listowel, Rathkeale and Abbeyfeale. Such interdependencies provide an opportunity for collaboration and economic growth, including opportunities for partnership projects. Initiatives of the Atlantic Economic Corridor will support Newcastle West in realising its full potential, enhancing enterprise assets to support job creation, improve competitiveness, attract investment and create future economic growth. Objective ECON O9 Newcastle West It is an objective of the Council to: a) Support and promote the role of Newcastle West as a strategic urban centre of significant influence to realise the full potential of the town, including its role as part of the Atlantic Economic Corridor Initiative. b) Support the improvement of retail facilities in Newcastle West Town Centre, through the provision of modern shop units and a growth in floor space. c) Support opportunities for brownfield redevelopment to support mixeduse sustainable urban development, improve on and enhance the vitality and viability of the Town Centre and increase its competitiveness with other retail destinations. d) In areas adjacent/contiguous to the core retail area to support the diversity of non-retail uses at street level contiguous to the core retail area, where such uses attract customers that complement the vitality and viability and bring linked trips to the Town Centre. Objective ECON O10 Networks It is an objective of the Council to actively work as part of different networks, including economic networks and the Atlantic Economic Corridor Initiative, to share assets, collaborate and drive economic growth and competitiveness. Objective ECON O11 Inter Urban Links It is an objective of the Council to support the development of inter urban links as identified in the RSES, between Newcastle West, Abbeyfeale and Rathkeale and across the County boundary into Kerry and to develop partnerships and synergies to support the development of the wider area.
- LIMERICK DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2022-2028138 5.7.10 County Towns and Villages Towns and villages are important economic drivers for their surrounding local areas and provide employment opportunities and crucial services for their residents including shops, post offices, Garda stations, petrol stations and small-scale employment opportunities. Their functions and services can vary depending on their size, refer to Chapter 2: Core Strategy and Chapter 3: Spatial Strategy for further information. The RSES highlights that sustainable rural communities are dependent on viable and vibrant towns and villages. However, towns and villages in Limerick have faced challenges in relation to building vacancy, declining vibrancy and a loss of services including shops, pubs, post offices and Garda stations. Supporting enterprise and job creation and reversing population decline is crucial. In recent years, the Council, through Innovate Limerick, has taken a proactive and innovative approach to the development of enterprise and employment opportunities. This has included the development of enterprise hubs in towns and villages throughout County Limerick, including Rathkeale, Bruree and Broadford. These enterprise centres support start-ups, small businesses and provide facilities for enterprises to expand as they grow their number of employees. They also support local communities and provide a multiplier effect as they generate spend in the local towns and villages. The retail sector is a key element of the vitality of the towns and villages in County Limerick and provides convenience shopping, either in small supermarkets, comparison shopping or small-scale shops in the areas of hardware, pharmacies and clothes shops. It also an important factor in relation to attracting visitors to towns and villages in County Limerick. The Local Authority will support and facilitate the development of retail in towns and village centres. The retail sector is a key rural sector for services, regeneration of town and village centres, for employment creation and enterprise growth. The emphasis is on the need to build up the retailing core of settlements. Objective ECON O12 County Towns and Villages It is an objective of the Council to strongly support the strengthening of the vitality and viability of town and village centres to enhance economic growth, enterprise and employment opportunities. 5.7.11 Rural Retail The emphasis of national and regional planning policy is to strengthen the core of town and village settlements for residential and economic growth. The retail sector is key for the sustainable development of services and regeneration of such centres. Retail in rural areas will therefore generally be directed into existing settlements and the development of the countryside for this purpose shall be resisted. However, smallscale shops ancillary to a farm holding, selling produce from the farm may be considered, where it can be demonstrated that such use would not impact on the vitality of any settlement. Objective ECON O13 Rural Retail It is an objective of the Council to direct rural retail to existing town and village settlements. Rural shops that are not functionally or spatially connected to a settlement shall not be considered, except for exceptional circumstances where the development of certain types of retail units in rural areas could be acceptable. Small-scale retail units may be considered on a case-by-case basis and subject to compliance with all relevant Development Management Standards for: •• Retail units which are ancillary to activities arising from farm diversification. •• Retail units which are designed to serve tourist or recreational facilities and are ancillary to the main use. •• Retail units attached to an existing or approved craft workshop.
Source Limerick City and County Council: Limerick Development Plan 2022–2028 (as varied) (2022–2028) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.