Bedford Row, Limerick

And yet we have so many things that we now need to play catch up on and the investment required for a city that's really growing, that there needs to be an understanding of government, that they need to really have a significant allocation of money to Limerick and indeed to Cork and Galway and others to allow them to not be held back by the lack of investment.

Right, so speaking of growth in the city, there has been planning permission to the council to expand the Savoy Hotel at Henry Street and Bedford Row.

I mean, what's your reaction to that news?

Look, this is brilliant.

I mean, a lot of people have been raising concerns to me about what's going on in Bedford Row.

And I think now they understand that some of the changes in Bedford Row are part of a bigger picture after the acquisition of the hotel and the sale of the hotel probably a year or so ago.

But I also noticed, I don't know if people spotted this, the permission or the idea of putting another kind of boutique hotel in the building there just opposite the Artist's Quay shopping centre, the old school that was there.

And so I think what we're seeing is we're seeing now growing confidence in Limerick.

Delighted to see them.

I think they've been far better placed in either Ferry Square or Bedford Row.

Just the location was wrong in my view.

Obviously, the mayor doesn't agree with me.

But as a long-standing person in business, I'm 40 years in business, we watch people's behaviour very closely.

We know what stops people coming to town and what doesn't.

had he run those activities in Perry Square or Bedford Row it would have helped everybody instead of helping a few and hurting others and there's you know with a bit of compromise and working together you can achieve everything but this idea that everything has to be my way or the highway I think is a disastrous approach.

Have you voiced these suggestions to the Mayor at any stage to say this is what you think might work better instead and what's the response been?