Limerick's oldest pub seeks planning permission for expansion - Ireland News Beep

LIMERICK has the highest pub closure rate in Ireland but the White House Bar in the heart of the city centre is bucking that trend by planning a major expansion.

The owners of Limerick’s oldest bar have applied to Limerick City and County Council for permission to increase the size of their premises to encompass four floors.

Applicant, The White Hen House Ltd are seeking a change of use of the first floor from offices to use as bar / lounge and a change of use of the second floor from offices to use as function room, toilet facilities and office.

Planning was also sought last month for construction of a new fire lobby to the ground floor bar area and a new doorway connecting the stair lobby to the main bar. Also being sought is construction of a new staircase from ground to half landing for the purpose of eliminating winders on half landing.

Limerick City and County Council are due to give their decision on June 4. If planners give the green light the White House will be able to cater for patrons over four floors as there are existing bars in the basement and ground floor.

Given the scale of investment required if the plans get the green light, the project represents a strong vote of confidence in Limerick city.

Located at the corner of O’Connell Street and Glentworth Street, the pub building is a protected structure.

Established in 1812, the White House Bar is as famous for its connections with the local literary arts as it is for the heritage of the bar itself. It was once the host of The White House Poets for 10 years, led by the larger than life and sadly missed Barney Sheehan.

The planned expansion is in stark contrast to a report commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) last year which showed a continuing decline in the number of pubs in Ireland, with 2,119 – or one in four – closing their doors since 2005.

Limerick has the highest pub closure rate in Ireland with 178 fewer pubs, while over 2,100 pubs have closed nationally since 2005.

The report, compiled by Economist and Associate Professor Emeritus at DCU, Anthony Foley, shows that an average of 112 pubs stopped trading every year, with a further 600 to 1,000 closures estimated over the next decade. All 26 counties experienced declines in pub numbers over the 2005 to 2024 period. The highest decrease was in Limerick (-37.2%), followed by Offaly (-34.1%) Cork (-32.7%), Roscommon (-32.3%), Tipperary (-32.0%), Laois (-30.6%), Longford (-30.1%) and Westmeath (-30.0%).

DIGI said the high cost of doing of business was a major contributory factor to the alarming rate of closures recorded by the report. It said that without immediate action by the Government many villages and small towns will soon lose their last remaining pub which would deal a devastating blow to the economic and social fabric of that community.

DIGI secretary, Donall O’Keeffe said: “More than 100 pubs are closing every year in Ireland, due in large part to the high costs imposed by the State.

“Without immediate intervention, up to 1,000 more pubs will close for the last time, leaving their communities without a vital community and tourism hub.

ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW

Limerick’s oldest pub seeks planning permission for expansion

Tags: