Phoenix: Urgent action required?

A story last week from our council, which reported that a planned pocket park in Thomas Street on the site of a fire-destroyed building “may open in two years”, was, frankly, upsetting. The implicit lack of urgency, the acceptance of delay seems symptomatic of public administration. 

A regular reader sent us a social media quote which sums it up. 

“There's a real lack of vision at play here. Too much fire-fighting, and not enough time implementing real strategies that will deliver real change. It feels like it will be too late before they (council) realise the error of their ways.” 

Since the amalgamation of city and county in 2014, there is an unhappy feeling among many city residents that our city has suffered from a lack of council attention, with largely predictable results. 

Some suggest the amalgamation was put in place by Environment Minister Phil Hogan to do precisely that, to undermine the primacy of the city locally and regionally. 

Make up your own mind. What is true, is that inter-urban competition for business across the country is intense. It’s literally sink or swim time. 

Waterford city is in competition across the south east with some of the best presented towns in Ireland: Clonmel, Kilkenny, Wexford. No one is waiting for us to get our act together and catch up. Our council is trying very hard to do many things, but it appears that we have shotgun blast, instead of rifle accuracy. 

As HQ location of our council and supposed economic driver of the region, there must be laser focus on the city. That simply was not happening. The focus on delivering the North Quays is admirable. It’s a project that will eventually deliver but it should have been devolved to a special purpose company like Dublin Docklands Development Authority. 

It has devoured council time, money and resources. Meanwhile, things like the (we all know it will be longer) two-year delay in Thomas Street undermine much good work and public confidence.

10 years ago it was announced that Parade Quay was to be refurbished. Two years ago all the lovely little shops there, the thing our city is crying out for, were decanted, leaving a terrace of dereliction next to Reginald’s Tower. Since then nothing has happened. 

10 years ago it was announced that infill houses were to be built in The Glen and in Summerland Square. Nothing has happened. 

Announcement after announcement says that the two beautiful presbytery buildings in George's Street are to be refurbished, that an office block was to be built on the Munster Express site etc, etc, yet nothing has happened. 

Such a “failure to launch” would be inexplicable and with severe consequences in the private sector. 

Lady Lane is a really beautiful street, yet the old Mackesey family home, number 22, opposite the Friary, owned by the council, is in deplorable condition. This is at the heart of the Viking Triangle. Where is the connected thinking? Ah shure 'twill do? 

We tolerate dereliction in New Street, Browne’s Lane, Stephen’s Street, Newgate Street and Michael Street at a level unequalled across the south east and are waiting, like Mr Micawber, for “something to turn up”. If we are a serious city, this cannot go on.

It must be that the prolonged delay in executing projects is related to the finances and rate base of the city. 

Our Sinn Féin TDs express concern at proposed job losses in Garrett Ireland, while the South East Economic Monitor (SEEM) report indicates that IDA-supported job numbers decreased last year in Waterford, in stark contrast to our peer cities. 

How long is it since there has been a new, capital-intense industry announced for Waterford? Were it not for Noel Frisby developing the Glassworks 1 building, what would be going on? 

The dogs in the street know that when a large medical devices company came calling here some years ago they were directed to set up elsewhere in the region because the IDA had “no strategic site available in Waterford”. Not a political or commercial voice was raised. 

While the IDA fails to deliver on their mandate for Waterford, they busy themselves with cutting down all the trees fronting the Cork Road Industrial Estate. It’s like tidying the pens on your desk!

The latest government blurb is the "National infrastructure plan will deliver for Waterford". How? 

Rosslare Port (4 million tons of cargo) recently opened a €250 million new terminal. Last week, Iarnród Éireann, the Rosslare port owners announced they intend to apply for a €250 million wind energy support facility. Half a billion Euro in total investment, while Port of Waterford (2.25 million tons of cargo), operating at capacity, has a business case for two years with the Dept. of Hatcheting Waterford proposals, otherwise known as Transport, led by Fianna Fáil’s Dara O’Brien, without reply. 

Our senior government politician Minister Mary Butler failed to extract a paltry €12 million to support a joint venture at our airport. That spoke volumes about lack of influence. 

Can anyone imagine a similar situation with Martin Cullen? 

Waterford desperately needs senior political representation. Ms Butler is in the square, yet singularly fails to score. Is she a “taker” of whatever the system deigns to give, rather than the determined “maker” we need? Ms Butler must realise the extent to which our city’s future is entwined with her actions?

Without senior political leadership from Ms Butler, Waterford will struggle. Last week again saw many HSE tenders on the E-tender website for developments in Galway and elsewhere. Without planning permissions and published tenders, there is nothing on the stocks, ready to go, in HSE Waterford. 

Background chatter suggests the Kilkenny-based HSE Estates office is playing silly buggers with Waterford projects. Anecdotal reports suggest the Estates Office has Waterford projects queued and ready to go but that HSE funding has simply not been prioritised. 

The NDP Health Sector Plan 2026/30 does not inspire confidence. Worst of all is the widespread rumour that planned extra beds for UHW will not be allocated because the hospital “successfully manages its workload within existing capacity”. Perform well in Ireland’s HSE and you get a kicking?

Our place in the Irish urban rankings is at stake. Urgent action is vital.