New York's Central Park inspires ambitious plan for Limerick

MAYOR John Moran is eyeing up a Central Park-style redevelopment of land in Limerick city.

Some €20m of funding has been approved by Government to allow for the redevelopment of Caledonian Park, which has been largely out of use for more than 20 years.

Once a hotbed of junior soccer in the city, the site – affectionately known as Cal’s Park – off Hyde Road is now overgrown and largely inaccessible.

Mayor Moran has revealed to the Limerick Leader that he is eyeing up the land for a Central Park-style redevelopment.

A planning application for this is expected in the coming days.

Mayor Moran said the project will form part of the Colbert Quarter redevelopment in lands surrounding Limerick’s bus and rail station.

He said when research was going on for this scheme – which was unveiled in 2021 – the feedback from the local community was that there were not enough public amenities to go with new houses being built.

For its part, the Colbert Quarter regeneration scheme is projected to deliver some 2,900 living spaces.

So the idea of a ‘Central Park’ style development in the heart of Limerick was mooted, the mayor said.

"It would be a park of significant scale which would be put in the middle of Colbert Quarter, essentially where Caledonian Park is.

"Obviously, there'll be extra housing, but it'd be going around the park looking down,” he said.

Mayor Moran, who used to live in New York, said Limerick's new park would operate on the same basis as the famous Central Park in the Big Apple.

It remains publicly owned by New York City, but a private, not-for-profit organisation, the Central Park Conservancy is responsible for its day-to-day care, restoration and fundraising.

This model dates back to the 1970s when the attraction fell into disrepair due to a financial crisis in New York.

Mayor Moran said: “It would be a location not just for locals living in the accommodation.”

He suggested Limerick’s answer could have space for a stage and a pavillion.

The executive mayor of Limerick said the money has been given to Limerick under the Government’s Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund.

This provides money for infrastructure or amenities – such as parks – which allow more housing to be constructed.

Earlier this year, members of Limerick’s metropolitan district called for Caledonian Park to be brought back to life, even with a temporary use for it.

Councillor Sarah Kiely said at a meeting that redevelopment under the Colbert Quarter scheme could be many years away.

"It has come up on numerous occasions about the possibility of temporary use for Cal’s for a running club involving the gardai and the members of the community in Hyde Road and Ballinacurra Weston,” she said. "It is a fantastic initiative and should be supported," she added.

Council officials said that they would continue to assess temporary uses for the land on the city’s southside.