€300M Investment into Waterford City

Deiseen

tbayers wrote: »

There should be a bigger up roar about this, it's disgraceful. Mary Butler's statement is laughable too, blaming the government. She not realise her party is basically keeping the government afloat. Halligan is shocking too. They are all quick to show their disappointment when something goes against them but where were they when they needed to be lobbying the people responsible for this? Coffey in fairness to him has been front and centre through all this.

If this doesn't go ahead I really hope the Waterford people and it's surrounds will have this in their mind when election day comes. This has the ability to change Waterford forever. If it doesn't happen Waterford will be firmly left in the doldrums

I'm fuming. Don't think I've ever felt so let down by the government and that's saying a lot being from Waterford.

Bards

Deiseen wrote: »

tbayers wrote: »

There should be a bigger up roar about this, it's disgraceful. Mary Butler's statement is laughable too, blaming the government. She not realise her party is basically keeping the government afloat. Halligan is shocking too. They are all quick to show their disappointment when something goes against them but where were they when they needed to be lobbying the people responsible for this? Coffey in fairness to him has been front and centre through all this.

If this doesn't go ahead I really hope the Waterford people and it's surrounds will have this in their mind when election day comes. This has the ability to change Waterford forever. If it doesn't happen Waterford will be firmly left in the doldrums

I'm fuming. Don't think I've ever felt so let down by the government and that's saying a lot being from Waterford.

I feel your pain.. it's so frustrating when your own government treats you like a second class citizen... Well that's how I feel... No airport funding, no 24*7 cardiac care and hospital being downgraded day by day.. no University and if there is they will asset strip WIT and move to Carlow etc.

What's the alternative.. who do we vote for.. do we even want to stay within the republic if we are constantly being undermined.. one thing for sure.. voting the same gombeens in won't change anything, and by gombeens I mean FF FG Lab and Halligan

Deiseen

Bards wrote: »

I feel your pain.. it's so frustrating when your own government treats you like a second class citizen... Well that's how I feel... No airport funding, no 24*7 cardiac care and hospital being downgraded day by day.. no University and if there is they will asset strip WIT and move to Carlow etc.

What's the alternative.. who do we vote for.. do we even want to stay within the republic if we are constantly being undermined.. one thing for sure.. voting the same gombeens in won't change anything, and by gombeens I mean FF FG Lab and Halligan

I would hope Halligan is raining hell on the Government over this. Publically criticising them didn't get him anywhere the last time..

Gavlor

Hang on a second, €6 million from how much requested?? And what % is that if total announced today???

IanVW

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/shortfall-in-urban-regeneration-funding-a-slap-in-the-face-for-waterford-887864.html

Dum_Dum

They just don't give a $hit.

Harry Palmr

Takes "de paypur" to tell it like it is!

TheQuietFella

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/balbriggan-castle-set-for-new-2m-investment-35118424.html

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/in-pictures-irelands-youngest-town-to-get-new-harbour-in-20m-facelift-37564780.html

When I saw these headlines I guessed that we would be short changed but in all honesty all the talk was hype and spin! I knew this was never going to happen!

hardybuck

Deiseen wrote: »

Do they add an extra 230%...

Yes, in some cases.

More funding announcements due in early 2019 is the expectation.

friendlyfun

Bards wrote: »

I feel your pain.. it's so frustrating when your own government treats you like a second class citizen... Well that's how I feel... No airport funding, no 24*7 cardiac care and hospital being downgraded day by day.. no University and if there is they will asset strip WIT and move to Carlow etc.

What's the alternative.. who do we vote for.. do we even want to stay within the republic if we are constantly being undermined.. one thing for sure.. voting the same gombeens in won't change anything, and by gombeens I mean FF FG Lab and Halligan

What's more annoying is that the Dublin ITs (Blanshardtown IT, DIT and IT Tallagh) will be the first to be a technological University. This expected to happen in the January.

We are the top IT in this country and we cant even progress to technological University and we're not even expected to be second in line. CIT and IT Tralee are expected to come second.

Living in Waterford is like living in a constant state of disappointment unfortunately.

Bards

How do we get Europe to sit up and notice our plight and obvious discrimination

Wanderer78

Bards wrote: »

How do we get Europe to sit up and notice our plight and obvious discrimination

does europe truly care about us?

Gardner

But dont we get 6m million now, another tranche of money from the Department of Transport, another tranche from Local Government and then another tranche from the same pot as announced yesterday in the second quarter of next year? think its all a bit sensationalist and people playing politics with it.

Bards

The only people playing politics are the bleedin politicians... This is a massive FDI opportunity and they are sending the wrong signals to the investors...

This money can easily be invested somewhere else that is more welcoming than out govt and our clueless representatives

Gavlor

Gardner wrote: »

But dont we get 6m million now, another tranche of money from the Department of Transport, another tranche from Local Government and then another tranche from the same pot as announced yesterday in the second quarter of next year? think its all a bit sensationalist and people playing politics with it.

Rob Cass seems pretty satisfied with the first tranche judging by his tweets last night

Bards

Be nice for Rob to give us an update on how the Saudis see this first tranche

Harry Palmr

Michael Walsh was just on Deise AM for a chat, obviously all he can do it play a straight bat as a public servant but it was clear enough to me he'd have preferred the full allocation or indeed half of it.

invara

It is hard not to conclude that this is the lowest amount that could be given to keep the NQ project alive, and not be seen to lose it on their watch. This is seriously lukewarm. It also contradicts the analysis of Ireland2040... diluting the investment potential of the pot over lots of small projects that will not make much of a difference.

Tramore
The council would have prefered a full-throated support of NQ, and they would have done the Tramore scheme out of their own funds anyway (as they did with Dungarvan). The council want ALDI in Tramore, but not on that site near splashword which further screws up the masterplan on the town. Full dispersing the retail of the town over 1.5km or a hearty 20-minute uphill walk from Tesco/lidl to Aldi. They wanted ALDI behind the library at the bottom of Quish's SuperValu to keep the retail core intact, and support smaller shops in the town core. So the new scheme that got funded is a bit mucked up by the An Bord Pleanála decision. This is a fight the council have had (to shepard ALDI into town) over a decade and lets be absolutely clear we lost bigtime here. To reiterate I love ALDI, and want them in Tramore, but not at the expense of Tramore being screwed up for another 30 years.

NQ
Rob has to keep the show on the road and so is limply clapping the progress, but he is not breaking out the cigars and bunting. This is a serious setback and the government need to reiterate their strong commitment over the coming days. We were told this was the only pot, but the other cities have access to pots we are excluded from:

http://www.eib.org/en/infocentre/press/releases/all/2017/2017-324-eib-backs-re-development-of-limerick-and-confirms-new-irish-urban-investment-plans.htm
https://www.eveningecho.ie/corknews/Construction-work-begins-on-former-Beamish-Crawford-site-06c3b062-0483-4fdf-8abd-1d3b64dcd0ed-ds

The city manager and NQ team have other irons in the fire, but my guess is they are really pissed off that we got put on the low burner.

So....
Insert usual comments about Airport (report sitting with Government since April... need a paltry €5m and they are contemplating €350m-€1.4bn investment in Dublin airport), University (FG reneged on full university promise, now offering an unfunded merger with no current plans for capacity growth), Hospital (being slowly run down to build up Cork in a hospital group where there is no voice for the SE.... 24/7 cardiac being the public battleground), Unemployment (only region missing action plan for jobs targets, nationally EI, IDA saying no problems here we are just moaning/lying)......

Gardner

invara wrote: »

It is hard not to conclude that this is the lowest amount that could be given to keep the NQ project alive, and not be seen to lose it on their watch. This is seriously lukewarm. It also contradicts the analysis of Ireland2040... diluting the investment potential of the pot over lots of small projects that will not make much of a difference.

Tramore
The council would have prefered a full-throated support of NQ, and they would have done the Tramore scheme out of their own funds anyway (as they did with Dungarvan). The council want ALDI in Tramore, but not on that site near splashword which further screws up the masterplan on the town. Full dispersing the retail of the town over 1.5km or a hearty 20-minute uphill walk from Tesco/lidl to Aldi. They wanted ALDI behind the library at the bottom of Quish's SuperValu to keep the retail core intact, and support smaller shops in the town core. So the new scheme that got funded is a bit mucked up by the An Bord Pleanála decision. This is a fight the council have had (to shepard ALDI into town) over a decade and lets be absolutely clear we lost bigtime here. To reiterate I love ALDI, and want them in Tramore, but not at the expense of Tramore being screwed up for another 30 years.

NQ
Rob has to keep the show on the road and so is limply clapping the progress, but he is not breaking out the cigars and bunting. This is a serious setback and the government need to reiterate their strong commitment over the coming days. We were told this was the only pot, but the other cities have access to pots we are excluded from:

http://www.eib.org/en/infocentre/press/releases/all/2017/2017-324-eib-backs-re-development-of-limerick-and-confirms-new-irish-urban-investment-plans.htm
https://www.eveningecho.ie/corknews/Construction-work-begins-on-former-Beamish-Crawford-site-06c3b062-0483-4fdf-8abd-1d3b64dcd0ed-ds

The city manager and NQ team have other irons in the fire, but my guess is they are really pissed off that we got put on the low burner.

So....
Insert usual comments about Airport (report sitting with Government since April... need a paltry €5m and they are contemplating €350m-€1.4bn investment in Dublin airport), University (FG reneged on full university promise, now offering an unfunded merger with no current plans for capacity growth), Hospital (being slowly run down to build up Cork in a hospital group where there is no voice for the SE.... 24/7 cardiac being the public battleground), Unemployment (only region missing action plan for jobs targets, nationally EI, IDA saying no problems here we are just moaning/lying)......

to quote Rob Cass from Twitter "Im not frustrated, govt committed". so as i said previously it seems people as using this as a political football without known the facts.

hardybuck

I also think there is a combination of people getting too caught up with the results of the first tranches of applications for funding, and a few who are just very well practiced whingers.

I'm pretty sure that Waterford got more money in this tranche than Limerick and Galway, and about the same as Cork City and County. It got more than Kilkenny and probably most of the other counties apart from Dublin.

Bards

...but wasn't this fund just for the 4 x cities outside of Dublin.... Or has this now been watered down

hardybuck

Bards wrote: »

...but wasn't this fund just for the 4 x cities outside of Dublin.... Or has this now been watered down

It's an urban fund, hence why Tramore got funding.

Harry Palmr

Rob Cass is not going to rock the boat any more than Walsh is, certainly in public

riemann

This project will never go ahead.

Rightfully so.

Harry Palmr

Go on, make your case rather than just walking off the stage.

IanVW

Michael Walsh CEO of @WaterfordCounci confirms to full Council that adequate funding now in place for north quays development for 2019. Certainty required for subsequent years. Also interesting to hear him state that the way it's being portrayed in some quarters is "incorrect"!

From Damien Geoghegans twitter page

Bards

So are the Saudis stumping up the extra cash along with the City Council as I can't see how 6m could be make or break

alta stare

Bards wrote: »

How do we get Europe to sit up and notice our plight and obvious discrimination

Are being serious or sarcastic or wtf? I would bet any money Europe doesnt know little ol Waterford exists.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

does europe truly care about us?

Exactly.

Bards wrote: »

The only people playing politics are the bleedin politicians... This is a massive FDI opportunity and they are sending the wrong signals to the investors...

This money can easily be invested somewhere else that is more welcoming than out govt and our clueless representatives

Playing politics is exactly what politicians do..the clue is in the name. I bet there are many politicians in this country who do not want this to go ahead as it may impact on their constituency in some way shape or form. Unfortunately we have no one of worth to fight our corner.

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Rob Cass is not going to rock the boat any more than Walsh is, certainly in public

Rob Cass has rocked the boat plenty of times with his critiquing of the government on here and on twitter.

riemann wrote: »

This project will never go ahead.

Rightfully so.

You may just be right about it never going ahead. Your second comment is without reason and idiotic.

BBM77

IanVW wrote: »

Michael Walsh CEO of @WaterfordCounci confirms to full Council that adequate funding now in place for north quays development for 2019. Certainty required for subsequent years. Also interesting to hear him state that the way it's being portrayed in some quarters is "incorrect"!

From Damien Geoghegans twitter page

Wish then somebody would come out and clear this up. Because Michael Walsh certainly did not sound too happy to me when I heard him talking about it the other day.

tonc76

From Cllr John Cummins FB page last night:

I’ve received many queries in relation to the North Quays funding announcement yesterday.. To reiterate what CEO Michael Walsh said at our Council budget meeting this evening, ‘the announcement is being mischaracterised in some quarters, the €6m is an initial allocation from the Urban Regeneration & Development fund & we are satisfied that we will have the funds required for 2019’ - the next tranche will come on stream in February 19’ & we’ll be working on getting certainty around the future rounds in the coming weeks at departmental level & via the NTA.

Our funding requirement for 2019 is €13m, this is due to a Q3 start rather than the Q2 start intended at the time of application, therefore the larger funding requirement is pushed out to 2020-2022. On top of the €6m we have an initial allocation of aprox €2m secured from the NTA for 2019 & €1.7m allocation from our own resources pencilled in & we will not be short for next year! It’s also good to see representatives of the developer expressing positive comments about yesterday’s announcement!