ONE OF THE biggest developments outside of Dublin in recent times has today been given the go ahead.

The new ‘Opera Centre’ has been opened to expressions of interest by the Limerick City and County Council.

The new development will cost between €80 million and €100 million and comes as part of the 2030 ‘Economic and Spatial Plan’ for the city.

The new development will be 50,00 square metres and will create 3,000 jobs – with a further 300 employed during its construction stage.

New project 

The site will be a mix of office, retail, residential and educational.

This project is currently in the process of selecting a joint venture partner. It is hoped that this will happen in the coming months and construction will be set to begin in 2017.

It will be funded with a mix of public and private investment.

There has already been a commitment to move the offices of the Revenue Commissioners from their current location in Sarsfield House as part of the development.

Welcomed 

Speaking about the project, chief executive of Limerick City and County Council, Conn Murray, said that the new project would be, “transformational for the city”.

Speaking about the new development, President of Limerick Institute of Technology, Dr Maria Hinfelaar, said:

The economic revitalisation of Limerick is already underway but today’s announcement is a watershed moment as it effectively paves the way for one of the most significant investments ever in an urban centre in Ireland.

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