The proposed development at Waterford's North Quays. Image courtesy of Falcon Developments Ltd.
The government has announced funding of €110.6 million for Waterford’s North Quays infrastructure project. The funding package is made up of €80.6 million from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and €30 million from the Department of Transport, through the National Transport Authority.
This investment will ensure the key infrastructure elements necessary to underpin the viability of the proposed North Quays redevelopment are in place, including the River Suir Sustainable Transport Bridge and a sustainable transport hub in the centre of the North Quays site. These works are expected to begin in 2021.
Sustainable transport hub
The integrated multi-modal transport hub in the centre of the north quays site will be the first fully covered transport interchange hub between rail, bus, cars, cyclists and pedestrians in Ireland.
Waterford (Plunkett) railway station will be relocated onto the site and complemented by:
- a bus set down area
- short-term parking facilities
- a link with the proposed Waterford to New Ross Greenway
- a connection to the new sustainable transport bridge
This development will support a modal shift towards walking, cycling and public transport, and will act as a catalyst for more sustainable accessibility to the historic city centre on the south of the river.
River Suir Sustainable Transport Bridge
The 207m five span bridge across the River Suir Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is designed to accommodate pedestrians, cyclists and public transport and will incorporate an opening centre span to allow river traffic through. The bridge will extend Waterford City Centre across the river to encompass the North Quays Strategic Development Zone (SDZ), including the sustainable transport hub.
Driver for economic development
ROD is providing planning, preliminary design, detailed design, tender, construction supervision and handover services for the infrastructure project to Waterford City and County Council.
The planned north quays redevelopment, on an eight-hectare site, will include a major shopping centre, offices, apartments, leisure facilities and a hotel. It is expected to create nearly 2,300 full time jobs by 2026.
Minister for Transport, Environment, Climate and Communications and Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD expressed his Department’s support for the development, describing the entire project as “an example of how sustainable transport can help drive economic development, while also providing improvements in peoples’ quality of life in our regional cities.”
TD for Carlow-Kilkenny and Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform Malcolm Noonan said: “The €80m investment in the North Quays project by the Department of Housing represents one of the biggest government interventions in the South East region in many decades. With this fund, and the advancement of the Technical University for the South East, we are finally seeing a growing confidence in the region and a government willing to invest in what will be a counterbalance to the lop-sided expansion of the greater Dublin area."
