Modified plans for a major retail development have been approved for Limerick city. An Bord Pleanála has upheld an earlier decision by Limerick City Council to grant planning permission for the proposed Opera Centre complex, subject to conditions.
It is estimated that the development, which will encompass almost an entire block of Georgian streets, could create up to 1,200 jobs.
The centre is to be dedicated to the memory of the world-renowned 19th-century soprano Catherine Hayes, who came from Limerick. Her birthplace on Patrick Street is to be transformed into a museum as part of the plan.
The conditions attached to the planning approval stipulate that a number of buildings which the developer had applied to demolish will have to be retained.
It is understood that the developer, Belfast-based Regeneration Developments Ltd, was yesterday studying Bord Pleanála's decision before making any comment.
Mayor of Limerick Joe Leddin welcomed the decision. He said that the complex would help to make the city-centre a vibrant place to shop and live and would be a significant boost to the city.
Limerick City Council granted permission for the Opera Centre earlier this year, but that decision was appealed by architect Cáit Ní Cheallacháin. The appeal was taken on the grounds that significant architectural heritage would be lost if the development was allowed to go ahead. In upholding the earlier decision by the local authority, Bord Pleanála imposed a number of conditions, including a stipulation that a number of Georgian period buildings, which the developer had applied to demolish, should be preserved.
The board also ruled that revised plans for the necessary conservation work will have to be submitted to the planning authority in advance of any actual building.
The revised plans should include details of how the Georgian buildings will be integrated within the overall development.
It is understood that planners at Limerick City Council originally decided to grant permission for the ambitious project to address an imbalance in retail floor space in the city-centre.
Several out-of-town shopping complexes have been approved in recent years in the Limerick urban area but there has been little development in the city itself.