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

I thank Deputy Butler for raising this important matter and for giving me another opportunity to discuss and clarify it. It is a project with which I am very familiar. I am also familiar with the site. It is a project of which we are very supportive and rightly so. It is very important if we are to achieve our ambition in Project Ireland 2040 and the national planning framework. It is very important that we follow up national plans through local implementation. I compliment all involved in the north quays project in Waterford and, in particular, Waterford City and County Council’s efforts in leading on it, along with the support of the chambers, many others and politicians, as Deputy Butler rightly said. Along the way it was important that everyone was able to play their part in helping.

I am glad to have an opportunity to discuss Waterford City and County Council's bid for funding for the north quays under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, which is part of Project Ireland 2040. In 2016, the north quays area in Waterford was the subject of a strategic development zone, SDZ, order made by the Government, recognising the social and economic importance of the site to the State, and designating the Waterford north quays for mixed use development, subject to preparation of an SDZ planning scheme, which has since been completed.

The national planning framework launched in February 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2040 includes objectives to achieve more compact urban growth in Ireland’s cities, including the significant further development of Waterford city and to move development away from the east coast to all of our other cities. Further to the national planning framework, the ten year URDF, worth €2 billion to 2027, was established, with €550 million of committed Exchequer grant funding available to 2022.

In 2018, bids were invited from public bodies for funding support from the URDF. On 26 November 2018, the Minister, Deputy Murphy, announced initial support of €100 million in provisional allocations to a total of 88 projects throughout the country. As part of this first tranche of approvals, the Waterford north quays project was allocated support of €6 million. A large and complex integrated urban project, the Waterford north quays proposal, includes significant high cost capital elements. Under the first URDF call for proposals, the council submitted a bid for URDF funding, which included four significant elements. These were relocation of the city's railway station to the east to form a new public transport interchange; a new pedestrian, cyclist and public transport bridge and associated urban greenway; site access roads and road realignment; and off-site roads in the wider north bank of the Suir area in Waterford and Kilkenny. It is intended that the infrastructural works involved will open up the north quays site, making it more accessible and supporting the achievement of the objectives of the SDZ planning scheme more generally.

The overall project is one of the more complex URDF proposals and it is essential that careful consideration be given to the proper advancement of its design, planning, procurement and construction. I recognise that all of the promoters involved have big plans with a lot of detail and they are very committed to the project. The initial URDF support to Waterford, as with all other successful bid proposals, is approved in principle and is subject to a finalised agreement between the Department and Waterford City and County Council. I have said before, and I say again, that it has to be seen as a starting point in a programme of ongoing support for a significant city centre urban renewal project. This is a very clear commitment from the Government. We stress that it is a starting point. There is an initial tranche and we will need to continue with the work. Deputy Butler should recognise this as support and backing up our plans, commitments and recognition of projects of significant value to the region and Waterford city. In this regard, the Department is continuing to engage with Waterford City and County Council on advancement of the overall project to agree project composition and sequencing and establish project cost certainty to inform current and future URDF funding support and allocations.

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