One of the country’s biggest new-build social housing developments has been opened in Limerick.
Located on the site of the old Limerick Clothing Factory on Lord Edward Street, the development includes 81 housing units, outdoor recreation areas and communal spaces.
Almost 60 of the apartments on the site will be occupied by elderly residents, with the remaining two and three-bedroom houses set aside for couples and families.
The homes were constructed on a site with deep historical resonance in the city.
The Limerick Clothing Factory opened in 1853 and eventually became one of the biggest clothing manufacturers in the world.
In its early years, it supplied uniforms to the British Army, the Canadian Volunteer Militia and to the Confederates in the American Civil War.
Hundreds of locals were employed at the facility until it closed in 1975.
The provision of social housing on the site is part of the ongoing Limerick regeneration programme.
Residents will move into their new homes in the coming weeks.
Opening the development this morning, Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy said it was an example of the approach favoured by the Government, which ensures that communities are built as part of an effort to address the housing shortfall.
