With just over a month to go until the first directly elected Major elections, Limerick independent candidate and former Department of Finance chief John Moran has issued his plan to make Limerick the “most desirable place to live in Ireland”. He recently released a 20-page document setting out 111 ideas that he believes need to happen to bring this plan to fruition. Moran stated his intent to combat the housing from the off: “If the people of Limerick elect me as their Mayor, I want to start from day one with actions to tackle the housing crisis.”
Moran’s manifesto also states: “Limerick has huge potential but still has many problems, and the transformation would not happen overnight, but that with smart, rigorous planning and determined implementation there is absolutely nothing to stop us.”
A few plans outlined in the document are:
- Limerick City and County to acquire thousands of its own affordable rental housing stock, similar to Vienna, Austria.
- Foynes to become the home for Offshore Renewable Energy in Europe, with advance planning for the town delivering new homes to get ahead of significant population growth and pressure on transport links and amenities for everyone in the area.
- New parks, cultural centres and sports facilities – for all ages – in the city and many towns, for example, a tidal swimming pool on the River Shannon and music festivals and clubs in different parts of the County.
- Each town, village and city neighbourhood to develop its own Unique Selling Point (USP) for the next county development plan and with support from the Mayor’s office and local councillors deliver improvements to make life better.
The document also sets out actions to be delivered within the mayoral term:
- More Affordable Housing for Limerick
- A More Desirable Limerick
- A Safer and More Community Driven Limerick
- More Culture, Visual and Performing Arts
- More people centred better quality Public Realm
- More Options for Mobility
- More Valued Heritage Assets
- A More Fun Limerick
The document highlights several long overdue projects for the city and county, with a co-ordination of transport nodes with planned building masterplans across the city; the sewage treatment needed in Askeaton, also the revival of neglected cultural ‘built heritage’ like the Royal Cinema and Bannatyne Mills and the restoration of the fire damaged Sailors Home as a cultural facility.
Moran will continue to issue more pillars for his manifesto in the coming months.
