€10M Facelift for City Centre

thomasm

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/waterford-city-set-for-10m-facelift-677265.html

Great to see such investment

Arundel Square and the Apple Market areas of the city centre will become key public spaces. Public transport will be centred on Arundel Square and the historic Apple Market as they are to be transformed with a glass and a mirrored stainless steel roof covering daytime market and night-time entertainment uses.
There will also be smaller plaza spaces created at St Francis Place, Lady Lane and John Street - which could be invaluable during some of Waterford’s international festivals. Colbeck St and John St will be designated gateways to the city centre.
The council said high-quality paving will use “a consistent palette of Irish limestone and light-coloured Spanish granite”, while kerbs and clutter will be addressed to improve access for people with disabilities.
A smartly-designed lighting scheme will further enhance the attractiveness and sense of safety of the streets.
Pedestrians will be given increased primacy and vehicular traffic reduced within the core city centre, with only strictly necessary journeys traversing the area.
The needs of residents, businesses, public transport providers and the emergency services have all been taken into account during the planning phase.
These will be accommodated with enhanced streetscapes, shared surfaces and the provision of turning circles. Agreed delivery times are also to be decided for city centre premises and secure off-street parking will be provided on the periphery of the city centre within easy walking distance of the core area.
Announcing the ambitious project - to be delivered with a combination of council resources, funding from the Government and the European Regional Development Fund - Mayor of Waterford James Tobin commended the multi-disciplinary Waterford-led design team.
“This major investment in the city centre has tremendous potential to further boost Waterford’s attractiveness to visitors and locals alike,” he said.
“It’s vital that Waterford city has a strong core and the more attractive city centre will have positive economic as well as social benefits. We have already seen what’s possible in the tremendous work done in our Viking Triangle, so I am very excited by this next phase that will better connect the different parts of the city centre.”
Council chief-executive Michael Walsh said this round of urban renewal will be “a real game-changer” and its quality “will stand up to comparison with any European city”.
Senior architect with the council, Rupert Maddock, said the “high-quality, accessible public realm” throughout the entire historic city centre will make Waterford “Ireland’s most people-centred city”.

MRnotlob606

I have this has cost much consternation to the some people on Facebook, particularly Waterford History Group, and many others. I think we need this modernisation of the area , whilst retaining the old buildings.

fricatus

Where's St Francis Place?

Max Powers

fantastic news. I was sceptical or the way they proposed to do cathedral square (yellow gravel) and the glass flood protection but on both counts, council done a great job. Most people, barring the length of time, would think that the quays works have made it better to. So hopefully they keep the standard high, particularly excited about apple market but lady lane needs face lift big time too, ideal trail taking shape from VT area to JR Sq to John St,.

JohnC.

fricatus wrote: »

Where's St Francis Place?

The Franciscan Friary off of Lady Lane.

wmpdd3

If anyone has been to the back of the Bullring in Birmingham, an area like this does look really impressive.

I had to keep checking if the article was a spoof, but thankfully not!

BBM77

Hopefully this will encourage investors/developers to buy and combine smaller adjoining shops to create units of the size that will attract retailers etc into the city centre. In the same way Wetherspoons is going to do.

Wanderer78

wmpdd3 wrote: »

Bullring in Birmingham

looks good

Harry Palmr

Arundel Square and the Apple Market areas of the city centre will become key public spaces. Public transport will be centred on Arundel Square and the historic Apple Market as they are to be transformed with a glass and a mirrored stainless steel roof covering daytime market and night-time entertainment us

Anyone remember when this idea was floated years ago, it was discussed on this forum. If recall rightly we had an architect here back then who was coming up all all sorts of interesting designs for the city.

sparkling sea

[QUOTE=Max Powers;95487342 Most people, barring the length of time, would think that the quays works have made it better to. [/QUOTE]

Most people I know think the quays project was a fiasco. It only served to extend traffic jams and keep even more people out of the City IMO.

You'd need a vote to get to the truth of what most people acutually think.

The quays do look nice though.

Delighted to see the investment in the City, just hope it allows people and their cars to actually come in and avail of the new services.

O Riain

Any pictures of the Arundel square part? All I've seen so far images of the apple market

miece16

At the moment Waterford is just not nice. There's nothing in it. One of the few nice parts is where Waterford Crystal is. The shopping area is very grim.

€10m isn't enough. It's a pity as the city has great potential but as it is, it's utterly depressing.

Wanderer78

miece16 wrote: »

At the moment Waterford is just not nice. There's nothing in it. One of the few nice parts is where Waterford Crystal is. The shopping area is very grim.

€10m isn't enough. It's a pity as the city has great potential but as it is, it's utterly depressing.

its a start. im impressed with the money that is coming into the town. im surprised at the speed of such developments as the deise greenway, im also surprised that this development is coming together as well which is great

barneystinson

miece16 wrote: »

At the moment Waterford is just not nice. There's nothing in it. One of the few nice parts is where Waterford Crystal is. The shopping area is very grim.

€10m isn't enough. It's a pity as the city has great potential but as it is, it's utterly depressing.

Well aren't you a little ray of sunshine!! What are you saying then, there's no point even trying to improve it?
How would you eat an elephant?

MRnotlob606

miece16 wrote: »

At the moment Waterford is just not nice. There's nothing in it. One of the few nice parts is where Waterford Crystal is. The shopping area is very grim.

€10m isn't enough. It's a pity as the city has great potential but as it is, it's utterly depressing.

How is it not nice ? what is your definition of nice ? For a small city of about 50,000 people we have everything we need. I don't think you know Waterford well enough.

Have you been to three of the museums ? , (Bishops Palace, Reginalds Tower and the The Medieval Museum).We have the magnificent Viking Triangle which is unique in Ireland. There is the redevelopment of Bishops Palace and Cathedral Square. What are your suggestions for making it "nice", which itself is quite vague term.

BBM77

miece16 wrote: »

At the moment Waterford is just not nice. There's nothing in it. One of the few nice parts is where Waterford Crystal is. The shopping area is very grim.

€10m isn't enough. It's a pity as the city has great potential but as it is, it's utterly depressing.

That’s it, it's the "city" that is depressing.

Wanderer78

BBM77 wrote: »

That’s it, it's the "city" that is depressing.

thats it. knock the whole lot down and start again. im proposing a new public transport system in the form of a roller coaster. this will service the whole city

wmpdd3

The world is what you make it.

Mint Aero

10m? Great, should just about be enough to clean up the chip cartons.

Wanderer78

Mint Aero wrote: »

10m? Great, should just about be enough to clean up the chip cartons.

feck it, tis all going on the roller coaster

robtri

and people wonder why there is little investment in waterford...

a lot oif people here can do is moan about how ****ty Waterford is and this and that is never good enough...

with that attitude it is no wonder Kilkenny is doing so much better.

Every piece of investment (as long as it benefits Waterford) should be welcomed. This endless bemoaning and woe is us is horrendous. Waterford will change, but only when its inhabitants do so as well and support the city

YurOK2

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

How is it not nice ? what is your definition of nice ? For a small city of about 50,000 people we have everything we need. I don't think you know Waterford well enough.

Have you been to three of the museums ? , (Bishops Palace, Reginalds Tower and the The Medieval Museum).We have the magnificent Viking Triangle which is unique in Ireland. There is the redevelopment of Bishops Palace and Cathedral Square. What are your suggestions for making it "nice", which itself is quite vague term.

Speak for yourself there.
If the poster has visited the 3 museums, what then? Visit them again once a month?

robtri wrote: »

and people wonder why there is little investment in waterford...

a lot oif people here can do is moan about how ****ty Waterford is and this and that is never good enough...

with that attitude it is no wonder Kilkenny is doing so much better.

Every piece of investment (as long as it benefits Waterford) should be welcomed. This endless bemoaning and woe is us is horrendous. Waterford will change, but only when its inhabitants do so as well and support the city

20 posts into a thread in the Waterford City forum without a mention of Kilkenny, it must have been a record!

deisemum

Republic of Telly has just taken the pee out of this project.

mire

At the moment, the city centre is akin to a tale of two cities. The Mall, palace, Viking Triangle is really top notch imo. the quality of buildings, public spaces, streetscape, heritage assets is fantastic and is a credit to the city. It's worth travelling to the city to visit that part of the city. The retail quarter at Broad St, Michael St., The Square, Arundel is mostly grim and really off-putting. What needs to happen, and what will happen I suspect is that the City will slowly but surely start to improve in quality - emanating from the Viking Triangle towards the city's retail core. The City authorities need to continue to beat the 'city centre' first drum. part of this will be to hold steadfast in not allowing any more high street/comparison retail anywhere outside the city centre - not in Ardkeen not in 6 cross roads, not in Butlerstown, not in Ferrybank (listen up KK Co Co). The one transformative thing to happen in the city in recent years is Winterval - which proved the theory that people and families actually want to come into the city centre. This momentum needs to be protected. This means being ruthlessly single - minded and promoting the city centre more than anywhere, because if the city centre works and succeeds, the whole city succeeds.

We should also remember the type of thinking during the Celtic Tiger that almost killed off the city centre forever; the Ferrybank SC and the equally ridiculous First City Quarter project on the Airport road. These projects had lots of 'pro-development-no-matter-where-it-was' voices supporting these things, even from within the city.

Anyway, €10 million is a lot of public space investment - I hope it look good!

wellboytoo

mire wrote: »

At the moment, the city centre is akin to a tale of two cities. The Mall, palace, Viking Triangle is really top notch imo. the quality of buildings, public spaces, streetscape, heritage assets is fantastic and is a credit to the city. It's worth travelling to the city to visit that part of the city. The retail quarter at Broad St, Michael St., The Square, Arundel is mostly grim and really off-putting. What needs to happen, and what will happen I suspect is that the City will slowly but surely start to improve in quality - emanating from the Viking Triangle towards the city's retail core. The City authorities need to continue to beat the 'city centre' first drum. part of this will be to hold steadfast in not allowing any more high street/comparison retail anywhere outside the city centre - not in Ardkeen not in 6 cross roads, not in Butlerstown, not in Ferrybank (listen up KK Co Co). The one transformative thing to happen in the city in recent years is Winterval - which proved the theory that people and families actually want to come into the city centre. This momentum needs to be protected. This means being ruthlessly single - minded and promoting the city centre more than anywhere, because if the city centre works and succeeds, the whole city succeeds.

We should also remember the type of thinking during the Celtic Tiger that almost killed off the city centre forever; the Ferrybank SC and the equally ridiculous First City Quarter project on the Airport road. These projects had lots of 'pro-development-no-matter-where-it-was' voices supporting these things, even from within the city.

Anyway, €10 million is a lot of public space investment - I hope it look good!

Wow a Thought out intelligent post on Boards.ie! well done Mire a great post

Max Powers

Pictures on N&S of proposed developments look great. There will always be pathetic moaners who cant wait to spread their misery in Ireland, this project is to be welcomed big time, great potential and going on computer generated images, looks fantastic.

iseegirls

Max Powers wrote: »

Pictures on N&S of proposed developments look great. There will always be pathetic moaners who cant wait to spread their misery in Ireland, this project is to be welcomed big time, great potential and going on computer generated images, looks fantastic.

Any links online, or a scan of the pictures?

The Bowling Alley

What's all this about one way streets?

hardybuck

First off, I really welcome the move to clean up that area of the city. I was down there recently after not being there for a while, it looks pretty grotty as it is.

What I would say is I'm not 100% about the roof yet from the pictures I've seen. I admire the concept, especially if they want to make use of the market and outside dining more comfortable, but hopefully it isn't something which will look tacky in 7 or 8 years time. If they're investing money in building it, they also need to invest money in cleaning and maintaining it.

DulchieLaois

If you want to invest into the city facelift, then get rid of the junkies and the living walking dead and put enough Garda resources into the area.....also encourage businesses to expand all the way down to Smithfield area, the city is not just all around Connell Street

BBM77

DulchieLaois wrote: »

If you want to invest into the city facelift, then get rid of the junkies and the living walking dead and put enough Garda resources into the area.....also encourage businesses to expand all the way down to Smithfield area, the city is not just all around Connell Street

Is Smithfield not in Dublin?