Increased tree planting is extremely welcome.
Please design with Limerick’s weather in mind. Cover walkways or entire streets to protect people from rain, encourage dwell time and create atmosphere. Cruises Street is a perfect street to install a retractable roof similar to what has been done on Monke Street in Wexford. This would make it much more atmospheric and attractive to businesses, particularly retail and F&B. Other streets could follow the approach taken on Princes Street in Cork. There are countless other examples across the world (see covered streets and footpaths in Kyoto, Osaka, Atami, Madrid, Malaga, Seville, Nicosia, Bologna, Toronto and London (the Borough, Leandenhall and Covent Garden markets have all been covered, as has Burlington Arcade off Piccadilly and Kingly Court off Carnaby Street).
Consider provision of wooden Garda sentry hut to improve safety. Do not over design. Function over form.
Consider a covered area for buskers to perform on rainy nights.
Some form of small sports facility would attract people during day and night times, boost commerce and atmosphere, encourage dwell time and improve safety – ideally a caged and floodlit 5-a-side court that can be booked through an app for 30 or 60 minute slots – to keep costs down I’d suggest using lower cost durable materials. Some seating to view games and encourage people to stay in area would be ideal. If the structure could be designed so that it could be used for handball, soccer, squash, pickle ball and basketball that would be ideal. The key is to keep costs down – do not over design. Function over form.
Either a full playground in the area or intermittent children’s play facilities like slides, seesaws and interactive games. Again this would attract people to the area and encourage dwell times. Also improves local facilities for local residents.
Proposals to close vehicular access at night welcomed but street lighting will be key for safety. Some interactive lighting could be nice and playful. Strongly suggest a financial incentive like reduced rates for night-time businesses operating in this area. Consider impact of proposed taxi ranks on residents. Please encourage night food markets.
Pedestrianise the section of High Street between Little Gerald Griffin Street and Upper Denmark Street. It has been a huge success when done temporarily and it’s not a very heavily used thoroughfare for vehicles as is.
Suggest moving automatic bollard proposed for Denmark Street to intersection with Patrick Street. This would allow market stalls to potentially run the length of Denmark Street in the future. Also, while new market stall locations near Watergate flats are welcome, I would suggest it would be better to try to connect (via continuous stalls) the Milk Market with William St via Robert Street and Chapel St. This would make a fantastic route for a Christmas market in the future and connect the Milk Market to the busiest part of the city.
Try to include space for parking electric bikes and scooters. Long term, electric bike and scooter sharing will have to be a key part of the active travel strategy. These are used extensively in other cities where the only real complaint has been so called ‘littering’ of parked bikes and scooters. Plan to provide parking spaces for these now.
Please do not use the same materials as used for the footpaths on OCS. Use something which does not stain easily and does not require constant cleaning. Consider cobbles potentially with flat routes provided for wheelchairs and bicycles. Form and function important in this regard.
Encourage cycling as much as possible through segregated lanes or other spaces which exclude cars and other vehicles.

Market Quarter & Cruise's Street Public Realm Upgrades - Non-Statutory Public Consultation - Submissions

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