Waterford Council has been granted €27.6m by the government to rejuvenate the city centre.
The money will be spent across a total of 22 projects around the city centre in the wider Viking Triangle & Cultural Quarter areas.
The funding, which is the full amount applied for, is being allocated from the second round of the government's Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and follows on from the €110 million for the North Quays last November.
Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins described the funding as 'transformative' and said the total investment will be in the region of €48.5 million:
“Today is a further watershed day and again demonstrates the government's commitment to Waterford in the context of Project Ireland 2040. Waterford City and County Council received every cent of funding they requested of government and in reality the state investment will be far in excess of €27.6 because a number of the projects contained in the plan are housing related which will be 100% funded via the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, while other projects will be able to attract private and other state agency support".
Under the plan Waterford Council expects to spend nearly €12 million on seven projects in the wider Viking Triangle area including the creation of a new “Friary Precinct” .
New plaza areas
Senator Cummins said “There has been enormous investment in the Viking Triangle area over the past decade and it has transformed before our very eyes. Bailey’s New Street with the wonderful backdrop of Greyfriars and the Viking Sword is an amazing space but the plans to create a further plaza to the rear of Parade Quay linking it with Greyfriars is very clever. Not only would it provide fantastic city centre living and allow businesses to open on to the newly created ‘Friary Square', it would complete the area brilliantly. I’m also very excited about the potential of opening up full views of our city walls with a linear park along Spring Garden Alley. Such a development would be a great amenity for the residents and those who traverse the street on their way to and from the Apple Market area”.
In the wider Cultural Quarter area Waterford City & County Council expect to spend €36.6 million on fifteen projects including the creation of an upgraded shared space along O’Connell Street linking the whiskey distillery to the city centre; the creation of two new plaza areas on the entrance into the city over Rice Bridge and surrounding the Beech Tower; the acquisition and renovation of the likes of 3/4 George’s Street and 25 O’Connell Street to be used for a productive innovation hub and creative arts studios and the provision of much needed city centre housing with the redevelopment of the Clarendon Court apartment complex”.
Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Damien Geoghegan said at the heart of the design strategy was "a vision to return to a people centric city based on its ancient streets and spaces, re-imagining its historic heart, in more sustainable and innovative ways to become the most liveable city in Ireland.
"Creating a people centred city is the cornerstone of the Waterford City Centre Design Strategy which aims to revitalise Waterford as a walkable city with an emphasis on public realm and urban amenities. Addressing dereliction and regeneration by creating new multi use buildings where communities can share living, working and creative spaces, fills in the gaps in the urban form. The projects outlined in the Waterford City Centre Design Strategy are intertwined with the recently adopted Waterford Cultural Quarter Strategic Plan and timelines are closely aligned. This allocation allows our generation to write the next line in the continuing story of our City".
According to Waterford Council, the development will include a range of new public realm spaces incorporating a number of pocket park developments which will compliment new housing developments co-located alongside new studio, gallery facilities, and a tech and innovation hub in the O’Connell Street area. The plan centres on the development of SMART city technology and the Cultural Quarter will feature a range of SMART street technologies which will create opportunities for Waterford to become a site for future urban innovation and experimentation in new forms of business and enterprise, retail, creative activity, community, working and living. The proposal for the Viking Triangle involves development of a new linear park, new and repurposed residential units and exciting reuse of underused and derelict areas which will complement the area. The Viking Triangle was named The Great Place in Europe at the 2017 Urbanism awards against formidable contenders, Greenwich Market, London and Leicester Market, Leicester.
'Extremely positive'
Waterford Minister of State Mary Butler said the allocation towards the plan to re-envision the city’s ancient streets and regenerate the city centre was "extremely positive":
“The purpose of this funding provision is to provide a live, work, play, environment to draw people back into Waterford city centre by revitalising social, economic and cultural vibrancy within the city. The project focuses on two Waterford’s City Quarters, The Cultural Quarter and the Viking Triangle. The money will be utilised in both areas for strategic site assembly in key locations which will enable a number of exciting developments.
“In the Cultural Quarter, we will see work commence on gallery and artists’ space, a community venue and education centre, a creative industries incubation hub, public realm works, pocket parks and development of outdoor performance space.
“The National Planning Framework contains an objective of Waterford becoming a ‘Regional City of Scale’, driving regional growth and this is a significant step in that process", the Minister added.
“These are exciting times for Waterford despite the difficulties people are enduring through this pandemic. We have a beautiful city and county. Significant recent investment from the Government, coupled with the positive news in relation to the Technical University for the South East of late, are all positive indicators that Waterford is certainly on the up,” concluded Minister Butler.
