Work begins to secure Limerick's Cleeves site
Work has begun on the first phase of the €400m Cleeves Riverside Quarter regeneration project in Limerick.Sisk has been appointed as contractor to deliver Phase I, which will focus on the stabilisation, consolidation and repair of the protected 175-year-old Flaxmill building, one of the city's most significant industrial heritage structures.The works, which will run for 15 months, are being delivered on behalf of Limerick Twenty Thirty (LTT), developers of the wider project, with funding support from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), and represent the first critical step in the comprehensive redevelopment of the Cleeves Riverside Quarter.Phase I involves heritage-led stabilisation and repair works to the Flaxmill’s upper storey and roof.Limerick Twenty Thirty submitted a planning application in November for the second phase, the first major ‘build’ phase of the project. The planning application provides for a mixed-tenure residential and student neighbourhood accommodating approximately 1,000 people, including 234 high-quality homes and 270 purpose-built student rooms.The plans also include 299 sq m of commercial space, a crèche, and almost two acres of public realm space, featuring new parks, plazas and gardens, including the Reservoir/Quarry Park, Flaxmill Square, and a Riverside Corridor connecting the site to the wider city.Built around 1853, the Flaxmill is a rare surviving example of nineteenth‑century industrial architecture and forms a central element of Cleeves Riverside Quarter.LTT appointed a specialist conservation team led by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCB Studios). Working alongside Limerick‑based Architectural Conservation Professionals, the team undertook detailed surveys, investigations and design development over several years.FCB Studios assigned architects accredited in building conservation, each with extensive experience in the repair and adaptive reuse of nationally and internationally significant heritage buildings. Their portfolio includes the award‑winning conservation and reuse of the 200‑year‑old Shrewsbury Flaxmill for English Heritage in the UK, an industrial building closely comparable in scale, form and historical significance to the Flaxmill.For the construction phase, Sisk has assembled a team of highly skilled craftspeople, including specialist stonemasons, timber experts and ironwork professionals, who will carry out the conservation‑led stabilisation and repair works. Their expertise ensures that the building is treated with the precision, traditional craftsmanship and respect required for a structure of such heritage importance.Phase I forms part of the broader Cleeves Riverside Quarter programme, which will transform the former industrial site on the banks of the River Shannon into a new, connected urban neighbourhood.
