Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter, which is very important. It gives me an opportunity to discuss the north quays project in Waterford and, in particular, Waterford City and County Council's successful bid for funding for the north quays under the urban regeneration and development fund. It is a project with which I am very familiar having met many of the stakeholders involved in it on a few occasions over the past couple of years. It is a very worthy project that has been outlined quite well by the Deputy. It is an essential part of the region, not just Waterford city and county. In Project Ireland 2040 and the national planning framework, we recognise the importance of having regional bases like Waterford to serve regions and help them grow. In Project Ireland 2040, we are taking a long-term view about how we plan the shifting of population growth in the future away from the east coast and Dublin and build up other cities in order that they can compete nationally and over time, have an international footing. The chief executive officer of Waterford City and County Council, Michael Walsh, has done a great job in working with everybody to make this happen and put it on the map. We all know it will take time for it to roll out but great work is being done that is being led by the local authority, which is the way development should happen. Again, it had the co-operation of various Departments over the years.

The north quays in Waterford were the subject of a strategic development zone, SDZ, order made by Government in 2016 recognising the social and economic importance of this flagship "brownfield" site to the State and designating the Waterford north quays for mixed-use development subject to preparation of an SDZ planning scheme, which has been done. I met Senator Coffey a couple of times. It was a very important issue when he was Minister of State in the Department of the Environment. It was important that this designation was made thus enabling all the plans for the future.

The national planning framework, NPF, launched early in 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2040 includes objectives to achieve both more compact urban growth within Ireland's cities and the significant further development of Waterford city. Further to the NPF, a ten-year urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, worth €2 billion to 2027 was established with €550 million of committed Exchequer grant funding available to 2022.

Bids were invited from public bodies throughout Ireland for funding under the URDF. Waterford City and County Council submitted a bid for €104.5 million of grant funding in September 2018, seeking a sum of €20 million for 2019. The Waterford north quays bid was made as a category A proposal, on the basis of development being ready to go in 2019 and to continue in the years immediately thereafter. It was well recognised that Waterford, as a city, was well prepared for funds like this but I also want to point out that it was moving these plans on before any fund was established. That is key. It was not the case that it needed a fund to make this happen; it was getting on with the plans and making this happen. It had big visions. I give my thanks to all involved including the investors who also put great work into making this happen.

In November 2018 my Department announced an initial tranche of €100 million which was awarded to a total of 88 projects throughout Ireland for 2019. The Waterford north quays project was awarded €6 million for 2019, which is the single largest award made to any bid under the URDF. In comparison, awards made in respect of multiple bid proposals from each of the cities of Cork, Limerick and Galway resulted in awards of €6 million to €7 million to each city for a combined total of 24 projects in 2019. Later in the first quarter of this year, there will be a further call for URDF bids for funding in 2020. This URDF grant to Waterford, as with all other successful bid proposals, is approved in principle subject to agreement with my Department and may be regarded as the starting point of ongoing support for a significant city centre urban renewal project. As a successful category A project, the award signals commitment to further funding in future years. The overall URDF will increase for 2020 and it is expected that large integrated multi-annual urban projects will comprise a greater element of future overall allocations, as these more complex proposals require sufficient time for design, planning, procurement and construction to be advanced properly.

I have more to say but I am conscious that I am eating into the Deputy's time.

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