The International Rugby Experience Limerick City

The International Rugby Experience is a new cultural institution and world class multi-media visitor experience in the heart of Limerick City, designed to encourage people to visit Limerick city for social, sporting, cultural and educational purposes.

The project delivers a fully interactive, multi-sensory visitor experience celebrating the game of rugby in an award winning development designed by Niall McLaughlin.

Client

Rugby World Experience Limited

Involvement

August 2017-Ongoing

Architect

Niall McLaughlin Architects

Location

No.s 40, 41 & 42 O’Connell Street, No. 1 Cecil Street, Limerick

Role

Town & Country Resources Limited is planning advisor to the client, project architect and design team. This has entailed:

  • providing strategic planning guidance on how best to achieve the clients’ and project architect’s vision for the site which presented issues of demolition of buildings within an ACA and the insertion of a new tall building element within the Georgian core. Throughout, the interface between Planning, iconic Architecture and Conservation considerations required careful analysis individually and cumulatively, with particular need for the management and coordination of close interactions between key members of the project team.
  • Dianne McDonogh has led all planning aspects of the proposal, including management of pre-planning consultations with the Planning Authority, key stakeholders and statutory consultees; co-ordination and preparation of the planning application documents through to issue of a Notification of Decision to Grant Permission by Limerick City & County Council; co-ordination and preparation of the Response Submission to the planning issues raised on appeal to An Bord Pleanala.

Planning Outcome

An Bord Pleanala issued a Final Grant of Permission for the project in October 2018. Construction is complete and the International Rugby Experience is now a fully operational cultural institution, offering a fully interactive visitor experience celebrating the game of rugby in the heart of Limerick City.