{"id":383934,"date":"2026-04-06T00:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T00:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/383934\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T00:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T00:43:12","slug":"future-of-sarsfield-house-sparks-debate-over-limericks-waterfront","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/383934\/","title":{"rendered":"Future of Sarsfield House sparks debate over Limerick\u2019s waterfront"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.live95fm.ie\/news\/live95-news\/\" class=\"c-btn c-btn--small c-btn--secondary-fill\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>        All Live95 News<br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aiir-c-news-figure__image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/63c80823bfa0c.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"aiir-c-news-article__abstract\">\n            A Limerick architect says the building should not be demolished.\n        <\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"0\">The future of one of Limerick\u2019s most prominent riverfront buildings has sparked a fresh debate among experts, with opinions divided on whether Sarsfield House should be refurbished or demolished to make way for a &#8220;new lung&#8221; in the city centre.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2\">The building, which currently houses the Revenue Commissioners, is expected to come under the ownership of Limerick City and County Council in 2029.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"2\">While studies are currently underway regarding the environmental impact of the structure, the long-term vision for the site remains a point of contention between those who value its architectural presence and those who want to see the riverfront opened up.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"3\">Limerick architect Ailish Drake argued strongly against demolition, citing the environmental cost of tearing down existing structures.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">Both Con Murray and Ailish Drake featured on Limerick Today&#8217;s Coffee Break Panel, discussing a wide range of topics.\u00a0You can listen to a full podcast of the interview here:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">\n<p data-path-to-node=\"4\">&#8220;We shouldn&#8217;t be demolishing buildings anymore because a building has embodied carbon,&#8221; Ms. Drake said. &#8220;The most sustainable building is the one that&#8217;s already there. I think we have to look at it and measure it in carbon rather than just monetary terms.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"5\">She suggested that the building could be adapted for public spaces, cultural activities on the ground floor, or even residential use, rather than being cleared away.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">However, former Limerick Council Chief Executive and current Chair of Public Sector Practice at BDO Ireland, Con Murray, told the programme that the original vision for the city\u2019s 2030 plan involved removing the block to create a linear park.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">&#8220;The vision was of opening up that whole area&#8230; to create a new heart and a new lung in the heart of the city itself,&#8221; Mr. Murray said.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">He noted that previous assessments suggested it might be more sustainable to remove the building than to attempt a difficult refurbishment of a structure that is no longer fit for purpose.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8\">Click the link above to hear the full podcast.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/onic-player\/id6747436925?ppid=49bb71e2-4823-448e-b0e8-311158962de3\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/68da98f76f434.png\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n  \u00a0\n<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All Live95 News A Limerick architect says the building should not be demolished. The future of one of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,608,611,607,610,609,612,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-383934","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-limerick-radio","11":"tag-limerick-today","12":"tag-limericks-live95fm","13":"tag-live-95","14":"tag-live95fm","15":"tag-live95fm-homepage","16":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}