Work has begun on the 100,000 sq ft Gardens International Office development in Limerick - the first part of the Limerick Twenty Thirty project that is intended to revitalise the city. The programme will see over €500m worth of investment in creating state-of-the-art office, retail, residential, education and enterprise space. Limerick Twenty Thirty is the first vehicle of its kind in Ireland and was created by Limerick City and County Council to purchase and build strategic but unused key sites in the city. Limerick Twenty Thirty Chairman Denis Brosnan said: “This is a very important day for Limerick Twenty Thirty, for Limerick and the wider region. This will be the catalyst for a new era of growth for Limerick as this is the first in a wider programme that is going to transform Limerick into a dynamic living and working city capable of competing with the leading destinations in Europe for inward investment." “Limerick’s time has come and timing is a key aspect of this given the capacity constraints and competitive issues that other cities who want this type of investment have. It’s also timely from a Brexit perspective as Limerick, with high-end projects like this, will be the best placed and most competitive English speaking city in the EU for inward investment. We will have state-of-the-art space in a city that has been revitalised over the last three years or so but remains an extremely cost-effective location for operating international business in and from.” Conn Murray, Chief Executive of Limerick City and County Council, added: “We have already seen significant job creation and over €1.3 billion invested in Limerick over the last three years with the fastest growing employment rate in the country. The Gardens will now trigger a new wider programme of investment in infrastructure to bring that record period in Limerick to another level. “Limerick is rejuvenated, it is attracting a lot of international attention and now we will be able to offer what FDI and indigenous investors mostly look for – inner city locations in a vibrant city where people can work and, indeed, live. This will be a landmark project for Limerick and in time we will look back on it as pivotal moment for the city and region.”