Observations and Business Requirements for 83/84 Henry Street

I believe the cycle lane is a really good addition to Henry Street and I am delighted to offer it my support.  I believe more and more people will walk, cycle and take public transport as years go by and this is undoubtedly how it needs to be. 

 However, it will be a slow change and right now, the customers of the [Redacted personal information based on Moderation Policy] (Khan Supermarket), who work exceptionally hard in their business, need parking for their customers.  Shoppers at their store do not buy ‘a coffee and a newspaper’ they do a full grocery shop and it is a very busy vibrant spot (for which I am so grateful).  I need to support them and I hope you can too. 

What they have at Khan Supermarket is a business completely run by family and a business which builds our community and is a focal point for that entire block.  It is VITAL  for the block that it remains open and thriving.  They are under severe pressure with inflation and also a new Lidl planned for around the corner… complete with parking.  If Khan Supermarket were to close or move out of town our block would be decimated as Khan Supermarket is undoubtedly the anchor tenant for the area.  As a local supermarket where customers carry multiple heavy bags restrictions on parking would be a insurmountable challenge… parking is already tight on the block..

Please refer to the official group submission (posted October 27th) where we ask that a lane of traffic be removed from Henry Street outside our premises and the parking be retained on both sides of the street.

We would love to see traffic calmed on the street, it would bring out the character that we have been building here, but we are not naïve, we need that parking for business reasons…. And also, we are part of a larger community and they feel very strongly about this issue… I for one support them and I hope you can too.

****Also please note it was agreed that we would get a loading bay on O’Curry Street on the corner of No 80.  This is vital. At the moment trucks for Khan Supermarket have to block traffic to unload.  There can be a delivery every hour, these are not van deliveries but HGV with Tail lift trucks.  The current drawings do not allow for this.

Also, we have problems with anti social behaviour, which at night, can make it intimidating and unsafe. Much as I would love (in a utopian world) to have public benches outside my building, it would cause problems.  I have already had tenants with a small child move out due to excessive drunken noise from the street.  The girl was having trouble concentrating in school due to disturbed sleep.

I have a woman moving in for six months after Christmas on Academic contract in Limerick. She has checked repeatedly with me about security and has asked me about her personal safety, and how to get back to the apartment at night. As a female she should not be feel threatened walking into her home by people ‘hanging around’ late at night.  Benches will exasperate an existing problem: I would respectfully ask you to omit them from the plan please as it will lead to issues for my tenants and compromise my ability to rent the apartments.  They are literally a few metres from the bedroom window’s… that is unprecedented in a residential area as far as I am aware.

As I write this I am looking out onto the street.  The noise of the traffic is unpleasant (as is my window cleaning bill for all the dirt the traffic throws up).  I am very excited to think of a better neighbourhood where there can be more bikes, less traffic BUT also A LIVING CITY and for this to happen my tenants and my neighbours need to be able to retain their full parking rights.

Please consider this submission and those of the others you will read from our group.

Best wishes

Nicole Dunphy

PS: This is not an after thought as it is actually one of the key issues that over my lifetime has brought our City down.  The Heritage of Limerick City has been chipped away at over the past decades (this is undeniable). We are behind the curve of our European Neighbours in terms of how we protect and conserve our built heritage and environment. Cities like Kilkenny or towns like Dingle that have worked on this have seen huge boosts in tourism over the past decade which has led to a healthy independent retail sector and a wonderful civic pride. 

EVERYTHING we do in our Historic City Centre should be conscious of what we have been given by previous generations.  This proposed route makes its way right from the Victorian Terraces down to Georgian Limerick.  I hope that as the Active Travel team you take the opportunity to realise that we can use this to benefit our Historic Centre: Use only traditional materials (cast Iron), traditional styles (classical), traditional paving.  Bring back what we had, don’t paper over it with something less beautiful as we need to conserve it and most importantly restore it for future generations.  For design ideas you only need to walk through the city to see the wealth of well proportioned and executed design we have from our past eras.

So, we would love to see some proper paving on our paths in our area but we would love to see that extend into the cycle lane…… colour tarmac, and stainless steel would not be seen in the centre of Paris or any other proud European city… please don’t do it here.