Phoenix: Our lovely city!

Waterford city won the Irish Times “Best Place to Live in Ireland” competition in September 2021. It was the unanimous choice of the judging panel after 15 weeks of nominations, research and deliberation. 

The report said: “As a small city with a low profile, this year’s winner offers a very different living experience from Westport, Co Mayo, which won the previous competition in 2012. But the more the judges explored this historic, down-to-earth and affordable city, in a stunning location on the southeast coast of Ireland, the more they concluded it is a great place to call home.” 

While I suppose none of us would disagree with that verdict, “low profile and down to earth” and indeed “affordable” seems like insider code. We are hardly known for blowing our own trumpet. Even when this award was announced it took council almost a year to erect a sign saying so on the various entrances to the city. The judging panel assessed the nominated centres on many criteria and Waterford City beat stiff competition for the award, among them, Galway City, the most trumpet-blowing place in the country, beloved of the national media and home of truly massive state investment. 

One can only imagine the hoo-hah had they won. And yes, I am envious of their grip on the public purse and on national perceptions and imagination… but they work and work at positive image building, all the time.

It goes without saying that sometimes we are our own worst enemies with the “Nothing here boy” and all that rubbish. As if we can exist in a separate dimension where internet shopping, traffic issues and retail property vacancy do not apply. 

No one doubts that our lovely city has shortcomings and indeed traffic problems, but it most certainly has advantages and attractions. In fairness to council, this year showed a serious attempt with flowers, presentation and maintenance to show off the city. Regular summer events help and we’re getting better at that. Maintenance, investment and presentation, both public and private, are key.

Recently a grant of €500k to refurbish the Millennium Plaza was announced. This is a lovely riverside area even if a little windswept. How was its flooring allowed to get into such a dire state over such a long period? Surely someone noticed? Did the council simply not have the funds to repair it, or was rate income spread like margarine across a county with very little rate base? 

Have the demands of the North Quays diverted resources from the historic city centre? The riverside walk from Adelphi Quay to Rice Bridge is very attractive and improving all the time. The newly opened Clock Tower Southern Plaza is lovely and hopefully that level of presentation will spread up towards the bus station. But the timber handrail all along the glass riverside flood barrier, in a most public and visible area, is almost rotting away and, more to the point, our iconic Clock Tower is not working? Do we not have the funding to repair it? Are we that broke?

Anyone travelling around the fringes of the city will be aware of massive new housing developments. Waterford city’s real problem is in the historic city centre, where apartment development and infill housing is sporadic at best and ugly vacant sites, which destroy the urban fabric, linger for decades. 

Council did focus on infill housing some years ago with real success in places like Alexander Street, but they have announced developments in Gladstone Street, Parade Quay, Thomas Street, The Glen, Summerland Square etc, which have failed to start. 

Does this reflect low state funding or are deeper issues at play? When, realistically, will something be done with the Michael Street, New Street and Stephen’s Street area? Are we conditioned to letting it rot indefinitely as tangible evidence of failure? Look at Shefflin’s closed pub in The Manor, the hideous remains of Powers Seeds on the Dunmore Road or the tragic Yellow House pub on the Cork Road, and wonder about the impact on influential visitors. 

Does dereliction lessen our appeal for tourists, FDI clients and SETU students? What reputational damage is being done unbeknownst to us? In the 1980s councils countrywide lobbied for urban renewal legislation and redevelopment tax incentives because of widespread conspicuous dereliction. 

The resulting legislation and tax incentives drove redevelopment everywhere. A similar, better-monitored scheme is now required.

The Viking Triangle, relentlessly pushed for decades by Eamonn McEneaney, shows what can be done with public resources, willing donors and sheer charisma. That incredible work built real international profile but seems to have stalled, although there is still much to be done. Without it we would be culturally, intellectually and indeed touristically poorer. 

A surface car park (the lowest value urban use) in Exchange Street, the site of the historic Shambles, underlines the physical challenges. It has been vacant for nearly two decades, but has had more than 20 planning applications. 

City Square has an underused car park directly opposite, using the same tariff. The owners of the Exchange Street site have re-applied for planning permission to use the site as a surface car park for another two years. How many times is that? And then what? Another two years? 

In an era of relative prosperity, at this rate, the site will never be developed but will continue to undermine the city. It’s a perfect location for apartment or small hotel development with basement car parking, but have the owners any interest in anything except speculation? Hoping a fairy godmother will come along? If it gets planning permission, we are admitting defeat.

The judges in the “best place to live” competition effectively said that Waterford City has everything necessary to justify the award. Population growth underpins that assessment. The North Quays is a wonderful site, which will inevitably be redeveloped, hopefully in a more sequential rather than a “Big Bang” manner, but there is no guarantee that it will be a panacea for dereliction in our historic city. Urban renewal is a slow process, which our old city needs more than most. Fears are never far away that “low profile and down to earth” may become self-reinforcing negative memes, especially with our persistent and unfair lack of state investment.