A public square can look open and inviting while being difficult to use for a market, performance or community celebration. EIAI’s submission on the Proposed Limerick City Centre Public Realm Strategy examines how design, infrastructure and operational planning can work together to support the activities these spaces are intended to accommodate.
Public realm investment shapes how people experience a city for decades. Decisions about paving, planting, seating, utilities and access influence everyday journeys and social interaction, but they also determine whether a space can accommodate festivals, markets, cultural performances and civic gatherings. The Event Industry Association of Ireland welcomes Limerick City and County Council’s ambition to create an accessible, vibrant and culturally active city centre. Our submission focuses on the practical arrangements needed to deliver that ambition, ensuring that events are considered throughout the design and management of public spaces.
The Strategy already recognises several important requirements, including power, water, robust surfaces and flexible street closures, EIAI’s recommendations seek to carry those provisions consistently into project briefs, detailed design, operational arrangements and long-term maintenance.
Test the space before fixing the design
Event capability is difficult to establish from the overall size of a square or park. Permanent furniture, planting, queues, temporary structures, delivery access and emergency routes all affect the area that can actually be used. EIAI recommends testing representative event layouts before designs are finalised. A market, seated performance and community gathering may use the same space differently, and testing those arrangements early can reveal constraints that would otherwise emerge only after construction.
Once verified against the completed works, template layouts should be made available to organisers as accessible documents and editable, scaled drawings. These should identify services, loading constraints, access routes and the assumptions behind each example. The purpose is to provide a reliable starting point for planning, while allowing organisers to propose alternative layouts and undertake the assessments required for their own events. Council-held information about permanent infrastructure should be available for reuse, reducing repeated surveying and unnecessary duplication.
Preserve flexibility alongside everyday amenity
Seating, trees and planting are essential to comfortable, attractive public spaces. Their position and method of installation can, however, significantly restrict the activities a space can accommodate. A fixed planter may prevent a stage from being positioned safely, interrupt a market layout or narrow a delivery route. Furniture that appears unobtrusive during ordinary use can become a substantial constraint when audiences, traders and temporary facilities are introduced.
EIAI recommends preserving clearly defined usable areas and assessing removable or relocatable furniture where periodic reconfiguration is needed. This should retain accessible seating, greenery and protection for trees, with responsibility for moving, storing and reinstating furniture established from the outset. The submission therefore asks the Council to qualify general guidance on permanently fixed furniture at locations where flexibility is an identified requirement.
Install the services that activation depends on
A space intended for recurring events should have infrastructure matched to its expected uses. Permanent power and water connections can reduce reliance on generators, lengthy cable runs and repeated temporary works, provided that the connections are suitably located, maintained and available on reasonable terms. EIAI recommends assessing demand and distribution alongside the event layouts, including 16A and 32A electrical connections and larger supplies where required. Water provision should consider drinking water, handwashing and catering needs, together with arrangements for wastewater.
Retractable or flush-mounted utility units offer one possible approach. These can provide access to services when needed while preserving the appearance and usable surface of a space when closed. Their suitability must be assessed against local conditions, including drainage, flood exposure, loading, accessibility and maintenance. The same practical approach applies to surfaces. Event installation may involve vehicles and equipment considerably heavier than those encountered in everyday pedestrian use. Selected access routes and trader positions may require reinforced surfaces or ground protection, with clear loading limits and safeguards for tree roots and underground assets.
Sustainability should be designed into the space from the outset. Reliable mains services can reduce routine generator use, fuel consumption, noise and local exhaust emissions, while durable surfaces and reusable infrastructure can reduce repeated installation work, material waste and ground damage. These benefits depend on infrastructure being accessible, affordable and maintained throughout its lifetime. Provision should therefore reflect realistic event demand, with efficient energy and water use, responsible wastewater management and clear maintenance responsibilities built into the design.
Make street use predictable for organisers and residents
Streets and quays can accommodate cultural and community activity as well as movement. Delivering that flexibility requires coordination between event permissions, road closures, public transport, deliveries, resident access and emergency arrangements. EIAI proposes one published, coordinated pathway that explains the different permissions and reviews involved, identifies the relevant contacts and sets out proportionate information requirements and timelines.
A coordinating pathway would help organisers navigate distinct processes without suggesting that one approval replaces every other requirement. It should allow information to be reused and avoid imposing the same documentation burden on a small community activity as on a complex major event. For recurring street uses, the Council could develop reusable closure and diversion options with the relevant authorities and transport operators. These would remain subject to the required consultation and event-specific checks, while providing a stronger basis for planning and public communication.
Support activation while protecting other uses
Successful event planning must account for the people who live, work and travel through the surrounding area. The submission therefore connects activation with residential amenity, accessibility, heritage protection and environmental conditions. Noise arrangements should reflect nearby homes and evening sensitivity, supported by mitigation, advance communication and clear contacts for concerns. Waterfront locations require site-specific flood triggers, safe escape routes and decisions about when activity must stop or temporary equipment must be removed.
Accessibility must also be tested under event conditions, when queues, barriers, cables and temporary facilities are present. Routes should connect transport and drop-off points with viewing areas, toilets and exits, supported by clear information for disabled users. These considerations should form part of the same coordinated approach, helping organisers understand the conditions under which each space can be used.
Plan for the lifetime of the investment
Infrastructure only provides value when it remains usable. EIAI’s submission calls for named asset owners, maintenance budgets, inspection arrangements and clear responsibilities between the Council, operators and organisers. Fair access is equally important: published charges, booking criteria and proportionate insurance requirements can help ensure that smaller organisers and grassroots events can benefit from investment alongside larger commercial activity.
Existing events should also be considered when construction programmes are developed. Early engagement, accessible temporary routes and suitable alternative locations can help protect Limerick’s cultural calendar while public realm, transport and flood-relief works take place.
A practical opportunity for Limerick
The recommendations support the Council’s existing Festivals and Events Strategy 2024–2028, including its objective to create new festival and event infrastructure. They are relevant to established programmes such as Riverfest and St Patrick’s Festival, to smaller community activities, and to preparations for Ryder Cup 2027 and the legacy beyond it.
Limerick’s investment presents an opportunity to connect public realm design with the practical knowledge of those who organise, supply and manage events. Making that connection early can help create spaces that serve everyday life and cultural activity safely, inclusively and sustainably for years to come.
Read our submission here: EIAI – Submission on the Proposed Limerick City Centre Public Realm Strategy
