First business closed by Tycor fire reopens in Waterford City

The first business impacted by the devastating fire at the Tycor Business Centre earlier this summer has officially reopened.

"It's onwards and upwards," said Peter Hurley, owner of MotorDent Ltd, who has reopened his business after being forced out of its previous premises and losing everything in the devasting Tycor fire on Saturday, May 9.

After operating out of their Tycor premises for the last nine years, Peter told Waterford News and Star that they had "no choice" but to move locations and get up and running again, government assistance or not.

While a €750,000 Government assistance fund was signed off for businesses affected by the fire in May, Peter says the delays in receiving the funding are seriously harming businesses trying to recover and rebuild: "All the suppliers have been good, but it's the grant off of this government now that we're waiting on."

Having been promised €30,000 in Government assistance funding, Peter said he has only received €5,000 so far and doesn’t know when the other €25,000 will be allocated.

"It's now we need the Government to step in, not down the line, it's now," he said. With such a serious loss from the fire, Peter was left with no tools, no equipment and cars burnt to a crisp. 

He said: "I hadn't even a screwdriver or anything when I came down here. You'd have more tools at home now in your shed than I had two weeks ago."

To get back up on his feet, Peter has gotten tools and equipment on credit, something he has never done in his life and which he wouldn't need to do, he said, if the Government assistance he was promised had been distributed sooner.

Peter reiterated that "all the suppliers have been brilliant" in helping him to rebuild his business.

While Peter and his team have spent the last few weeks trying to recover from the shock of the fire at the Tycor Centre and search for a new premises, he says he was "lucky enough" to find their new home at Ozier Park, Poleberry, Ballycourdra.

Having moved to their new premises last week, Peter said they were delighted to get back to work as usual, especially after their struggles getting a new business premises in the Waterford rental market.

"They were trying to rob us like," he said, "I was starting to give up on getting premises because anywhere I was looking was way out of my price range. Way out of my price range."

Peter and his team are back in the full swing of things regardless. 

Between getting their new spot ready, tidying up the place and getting back to their regular work, Peter said they were "flat out" this past week.

"You just have to start from the beginning again. We'll build it up bit by bit," he said.