Monday 21 January 2008

President to launch regeneration plans for Limerick estates

President Mary McAleese will visit Limerick today to launch two radical plans for the largest regeneration project undertaken in the State.

Two separate "vision plans" for Limerick's Moyross housing estate and the Southill and Ballinacurra Weston areas on the south side of the city, will be unveiled today.

The plans include proposals for the total rebuilding of the Moyross estate, and a large part of the Southill and Ballinacurra Weston estates, which will mean the demolition of 2,000 houses.

The vision documents, entitled Our Community, Our Vision, Our Future, also include a new town centre for Moyross, new neighbourhood centres for Southill and Ballincurra Weston and the creation of two new Garda stations in Moyross and Southill.

A co-ordinated response to social and education problems to break the cycle of disadvantage is also recommended in the plans.

The chief executive of the Limerick Regeneration Agencies, Brendan Kenny, will outline the two plans, while the Northside Regeneration Agency director, Paul Foley, and the Southside Regeneration Agency director, Brendan Hayden, will attend press conferences today.

The plans for the Moyross and Southill housing estates were compiled after the Government commissioned former Dublin city manager John Fitzgerald to report on how to tackle the social, crime and economic problems in the troubled estates.

Mr Fitzgerald recommended that two separate regeneration agencies be set up in the north side and the south side of Limerick to drive social and economic regeneration and that 100 extra gardaí be recruited to tackle crime.

The two regeneration agencies were set up last June, with Mr Fitzgerald as chairman and former Dublin assistant city manager Mr Kenny as the chief executive.

Mr Kenny worked for many years on the regeneration of the Fatima Mansions and Ballymun estates in Dublin.

The Irish Times

www.buckplanning.ie

No comments: