St. Mary's Park is a
housing estate
A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country.
Popular throughout the United States a ...
in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The estate is located on the northern end of
King's Island in an area known locally as the Island Field. The area is located to the north of the historic and ancient city of Limerick which is located in Englishtown located on the southern half of King's Island.
The Island Field area was originally accessed from the walled Englishtown in medieval times via a gate in the wall called Island Gate. The estate was completed on 19 August 1935 and is one of the oldest corporation estates in Limerick. The first residents moved from slums in the Lady's Lane, Parnell Street & Palmerstown areas of the city.
St Mary's Park currently consists of:
* 463 houses, of which 273 (59%) are privately owned, and 190 (41%) are local authority owned.
* A frontage of approximately 2 km on to the Shannon and Abbey rivers, with an embankment to control flooding that also functions as an attractive riverside walk.
* A Special Area of Conservation of 10.7 hectares along the eastern edge of the Island, fronting on to the Abbey River, which extends along the banks of the Abbey and Shannon rivers.
* Two soccer clubs on a combined site of 3 hectares, with short-term leases from Limerick City Council.
* A modest community centre in the south-west corner with crèche adjacent.
* Extensive open space that is low lying and generally neglected.
St. Mary's Park is one of the more impoverished areas in Limerick city that has suffered from anti-social behaviour and high crime rates including gun and knife violence. Along with
Moyross
Moyross () is a suburb and council estate in Limerick city in Ireland. Moyross is located on the city's north side and is the largest housing estate in Limerick.
The Roman Catholic parish of Moyross is one of 60 parishes in the Diocese of Limer ...
,
Southill, and Ballinacurra weston, St. Mary's Park will be the focus of a regeneration process with the goal of making the area a safer and more prosperous place for its residents.
St Mary's Park Regeneration, Limerick City Council
References
The estate was built in the early 1930s and, at the time, was seen as a very desirable place to live. The estate is locally known as The Island Field and is built on King's Island. The island is connected to the mainland by Thomond Bridge and Baal's Bridge.
Buildings and structures in Limerick (city)
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