TUS landmark Indoor Cycling Track and Arena plans lodged for Coonagh Campus

TUS landmark Indoor Cycling Track and Arena plans lodged for Coonagh Campus. President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane pictured with Chief Executive Officer of Cycling Ireland, James Quilligan

TUS announces the plans for a proposed City North Arena, 7,201 square metre mixed-use Indoor Cycling Track and Arena have been lodged

Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) announced it has lodged a planning application for the landmark Indoor Cycling Track and Arena project, which was unveiled in 2024.

The technological university has lodged a planning application for the development of a 200-metre indoor cycling velodrome track and multi-sport arena at its Coonagh campus, marking a significant step forward in the delivery of enhanced sporting and community infrastructure for Limerick and the wider Midwest region.

The proposed City North Arena will comprise a 7,201 square metre mixed-use indoor facility, purpose-designed around a 200 metre banked cycling track, with a central indoor space that can be configured for gymnastics, badminton, volleyball, tennis, football and other compatible sports, as well as educational and community activities.

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The site, located on the north-western edge of the city within the Coonagh campus, is zoned for Education and Community Facilities under the Limerick Development Plan, where sports infrastructure is a permitted use.

This comes after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2024 between and Cycling Ireland to develop a €15.4m indoor velodrome on the northside of Limerick City.

This planning lodgement builds on the previously confirmed allocation of €7.5 million under the Large Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. That funding announcement was welcomed at the time by both TUS and Cycling Ireland, reflecting the national significance of addressing the current gap in indoor track cycling facilities outside Dublin and Belfast.

Speaking about the project announcement in 2024, CEO of Cycling Ireland, James Quilligan, said building a “community-based” facility which includes the velodrome track will “encourage participation” and that it could be a “satellite feeder to the Sport Ireland Campus velodrome for events, competitions, and the development of future representative cyclists”.

President of TUS Professor Vincent Cunnane said when announcing the project in 2024, “With our new campus at Coonagh, we have capacity for sports developments, and the ideally positioned, multi-use arena incorporating a velodrome will help the development of the north side of the city, while offering wider benefits to Limerick and to the Midwest.”

In addition to the indoor cycling track, the arena will be able to host examinations, graduations, conferences, exhibitions and cultural events.

The proposal includes 32 car parking spaces, including EV charging provision, 48 covered bicycle spaces, new pedestrian links and access arrangements, sustainable landscaping and permeable paving, and associated drainage and ecological measures.

The arena will take the form of a contemporary indoor dome rising to 22.2 metres, designed to maximise energy efficiency and operational flexibility.  The development forms part of TUS’s longer-term vision for enhanced sports and community infrastructure at its Coonagh campus. Subject to planning approval, the project will proceed to detailed design and procurement.