"This investment will transform South Kilkenny" - revised vision for the North Quays

Kilkenny residents living close to Waterford city can look forward to less congestion, more shopping and leisure options and better road and rail networks following Cabinet approval of the final business case for the North Quays project in Waterford city, according to Carlow-Kilkenny Fine Gael TD and Ferrybank resident, John Paul Phelan.

His comments follow the €170 million investment by the Government in the public infrastructure project.

“This investment will transform South Kilkenny and Waterford and will totally regenerate the wider Ferrybank, South Kilkenny and Waterford city area and make these even more attractive places to live, work and raise a family. 

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“This investment provides for the long-awaited relocation of Plunkett Station, the construction of a new bridge over the River Suir and the construction of new access roads and bridges on to the North Quays site.  Funding will be provided at a later date for improvements to Kilkenny access roads,” Deputy Phelan said.

A revised vision for the North Quays has been created by the newly appointed SDZ developer, Harcourt Developments.

Harcourt Developments is a Dublin-based property development and management company with a broad portfolio of award-winning projects.  The company develops residential and commercial projects and has developed and operated and tourism & leisure projects. It has had real estate interests in thirteen different countries.

An important part of Harcourt’s philosophy is to integrate cultural and artistic elements into their projects, and they take pride in creating beautiful buildings and attractive amenities. 

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Their portfolio boasts Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, Northern Ireland’s most important regeneration project.  Located in the world-famous birthplace of Titanic and home to the Game of Thrones television production, Titanic Quarter is a vibrant, mixed-use scheme with over 1.8 million sq.ft. (140,000 sqm.) of commercial space, plus residential, retail, and hospitality and tourism spaces. Titanic Belfast is one of Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions.

Park West Plaza in Dublin is Ireland's largest business and technology campus.  The Park extends to 230 acres accommodating a mix of office (103,000sqm.), industrial (205,000sqm.), retail (6,000 sqm.) leisure and residential accommodation.

Harcourt Developments Shopping Centres include Galway Shopping Centre, Donaghmede Shopping Centre in Dublin, Letterkenny Shopping Centre, Laois Shopping Centre, Limerick’s Parkway Shopping Centre and the Longwalk Shopping Centre in Dundalk.

Harcourt Developments currently have over 4,000 residential units at various stages in the planning and in development including Park West & Parklands at Citywest, Dublin and Bellingham Waterfront in Washington State.

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Harcourt Developments is engaging with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) on structuring an investment proposal for developing the site that would be capable, subject to due diligence and the necessary approvals, of attracting capital on a commercial basis. The Land Development Agency is engaged in respect of the residential element.  These investments are integral in achieving the objectives set out on the National Planning Framework, which calls for the rapid expansion of Waterford city to over 85,000 people.

The direct benefit to Waterford of the investment in the SDZ Site is anticipated to be in excess of €350m over the next six years, with 200 people employed during construction and between 1,200 and 1,500 people employed in phase one of the development from 2025.

The regeneration of the North Quays will also have a positive sustainable and environmental impact as it will enable development of a concentric city and allow access to zoned residential land closer to the city centre, reduce dependency on travel by private car and increase the modal shift of journeys in Waterford city towards walking and cycling, and optimise social cohesion with the creation of public realm corridors.

Following this funding announcement Waterford City and County Council’s elected members will convene to vote on the disposal of lands to Harcourt Developments to facilitate the development of the SDZ site and to CIE (Irish Rail) to enable the development of the access infrastructure pursuant to Section 183 of the Local Government Act, 2001 and Section 211 of the Planning & Development Act, 2000.

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Waterford City and County Council will also conclude a contract with the successful tenderer for the construction of the Access Infrastructure.