There's almost no office accommodation of good quality available in Waterford City. That's according to Michael Quinn, Director of Services for Economic Development with the council.
He was responding to comments from councillors about plans to rejuvenate a prominent city building. Three and Four Great Georges Street in the city is to be transformed into offices.
The building has been vacant since 2011, previously used as parochial houses.
However, speaking at a recent Metropolitan meeting of Waterford Council, local Councillor Seamus Ryan, says they can serve better as residential accommodation.
"I think the site would be ideal for inner city residential accommodation, be it apartments particularly one beds, because there is a huge demand for residential accommodation in our city."
Councillor Joeanne Bailey added, "Have we someone in mind for it already? I think Cllr. Ryan is correct in asking if it could be changed to accommodation.
"We also have a shortage of bed spaces in hotels and b&b's in the city, so does it have to be an office space, and have we looked into all alternatives for the building?"
In response, Director of Services for Economic Development with the council, Michael Quinn said Waterford is lacking when it comes to office accommodation.
"There is almost no office accommodation of good quality available in the city. We have had this conversation several times with the IDA. We have had several businesses locally that are trying to expand, and literally there is nothing available.
"It's a major challenge and one of the reasons why we were specifically targeting that location as office space."
In response, Architect with Waterford Council, Maurice Conway, says all options have been considered.
"It's very difficult to get a fire strategy to work within the buildings for residential use. We looked at high-end apartments, where at one stage we had a partner.
"I have been looking at these buildings for the last ten years since 2014.
"This is the first time that we have got a scheme that is financially viable, and we can actually deliver."
For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.
