Skip to content

Community Alerts

By Waterford City & County Council

Food Waste Prevention initiative launched in Waterford


Mayor of Waterford City & County Council, Councillor Pat Nugent, officially launched a food waste prevention initiative in City Hall on Friday 12th January last.

The initiative, which is a joint venture between Waterford City and County Council and Wexford County Council, aims to raise awareness of food waste, the costs incurred to the average household and ways to prevent it.

A short 1 minute animated clip was produced to engage and introduce families to the subject of food waste prevention. The clip will be shown in cinemas for 10 weeks in County Waterford and County Wexford starting Friday 19th January. A version for YouTube will be produced in both Irish and English. A competition will be run for both primary and secondary schools to further engage all members of the community in food waste prevention.

Councillor Pat Nugent stated that households and businesses waste one million tonnes of food each year… that’s 2 ½ times Croke Park, filled to the top with food.

He added, “We waste 1/3 of the food we buy. This can cost your household €700 in one year!  In Waterford we have been working to support waste prevention in becoming routine in our everyday lives across our communities.

We were delighted to deliver this as part of our program to reduce food waste. In 2017, funding was applied for and received from the Local Authority Prevention Network through the EPA to develop a short animated video about food waste prevention.

We worked in conjunction with Wexford County Council on this project. This video will appear in cinemas in Dungarvan, Waterford and Wexford from Friday 19th during the advertisements at every film. This coincides with Stop Food Waste Week which takes place from January 22nd until 29th January. This will be rolled out on social media and YouTube in both, Irish and English afterwards, as well as being promoted through schools competitions.”

The initiative is funded under the Local Authority Prevention Network, through the EPA. The Local Authority Prevention Network (LAPN) is a key component in the promotion of resource efficiency and waste prevention at a local level.

The programme has demonstrated that implementing waste prevention and resource efficiencies can lead to significant savings, in addition to the obvious environmental benefits.  Through this network, Waterford City and County Council and Wexford County Council have been working to support waste prevention in becoming more commonplace in our everyday lives across our communities.

By Waterford City & County Council

Statement on Traffic Changes at Manor St/Railway Sq/Bath St

Waterford City & County Council acknowledges the public’s frustration with increased journey times and traffic disruption as we phase in signalling and layout changes at Railway Square, Manor Street and Bath Street.

These changes are part of the Waterford City Centre Urban Renewal Scheme initiated in 2015, with many of the changes supporting the policy objectives of the Waterford City Development Plan (2013-2019), including the ‘provision of a citywide cycle network to link all areas of the city to each other via main routes’.

We ask for your patience during this transition.  There is an acknowledged delay with the traffic signalling/sequencing at the Bath Street, Manor Street junction and this will be alleviated as the new one-way system at these streets begins on January 10th 2018.  This should improve some of the congestion in that immediate area.  It is also planned to upgrade the College Street/Hennessy’s Road areas to make them fit for the anticipated levels of traffic (e.g. improved lighting and pedestrian facilities.)

In the meantime, we once again acknowledge your frustration and thank you for your patience.  Citizens are encouraged to read the Chief Executive’s Report on the Waterford City Centre Urban Renewal Scheme, which is available as a link below and on our website.  This summary document includes reference to traffic changes, our planning for same, as well as more specific answers to concerns raised during the public consultation process.

By Waterford City & County Council

SS Formby and SS Coningbeg Commemorations

Waterford City & County Council will be marking the centenary of the loss of the Waterford steamships SS Formby and SS Coningbeg with a series of commemorative events on Friday 15th December and Saturday 16th December 2017.

The Commemoration will open at 7.30pm in the Large Room, City Hall on Friday 15th December.  The programme then includes a series of interesting talks on the disasters and shipping of the time.  Friday evening’s events will conclude with a candleight vigil at the memorial on Waterford’s Quays.

Events on Saturday will commence with a Mayoral Reception at 11am in the Large Room, City Hall.

All events are open to the public and all are welcome. Further information on the SS Formby and SS Coningbeg is available from our online exhibition “The Waterford Shipping Disaster 1917” available from our website, or by clicking on the image below.

By Waterford City & County Council

One-way system commencing at Railway Square/Manor Street from 15th December

A one-way traffic system will commence at Railway Square from Friday, 15th December.

All outbound traffic on Manor St will be diverted onto Railway Square and the Poleberry Link Road from Friday.

Traffic Management will be in place at the Bath St – Manor St – College St. junction on Thursday 14th December from 10:00am and through out Thursday night. This is to facilitate the installation of new traffic signals.

By Waterford City & County Council

Artlinks Bursaries now available for 2018

Waterford City & County Council in partnership with the ArtLinks partners in Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford is pleased to announce that they are currently accepting applications for the ArtLinks Bursary Awards 2018.

ArtLinks is a partnership of the four Local Authority Arts Offices in Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford . It is supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.  ArtLinks and provides professional development opportunities and supports for established and emerging artists who are resident in the four partner local authority areas in the South East region.

Artists must be a member of ArtLinks to avail of these supports.  Membership is free and is open to both Professional and Emerging Artists who are resident within the four partner Local Authorities. If you are not already a member log on to www.artlinks.ie to register for membership and the application forms and guidelines are available to download from this website also.

Bursaries are available in the following areas:

  • Emerging Artist Award (for those commencing a career in the arts sector)
  • Professional Development Award (for professional artists)
  • Collaborative Award (for collaborative projects between ArtLinks members)

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Monday 29th January 2018 at 12 noon.

By Waterford City & County Council

Waterford Cold Weather Initiative (CWI)

Responding to Rough Sleeping during Cold Weather

Given the demands on current emergency homeless services and the growing waiting list to access services and the Rough Sleeper Units, an additional Cold Weather Initiative is opening in Waterford City.

The CWI aims to provide a warm and safe place to sleep for those individuals who may not access the current range of homeless services, including persons who tend not to engage with services or the outreach teams.

The CWI will be operational from 11th December 2017 and will operate during periods of cold weather over the winter months.  The operating times will be from 9.30 p.m. – 9.30 a.m.

Waterford Homeless Service providers, Homeless Out of Hours services, the outreach teams and Gardaí will make contact with all known rough sleepers to inform them of the initiative.

By Waterford City & County Council

Ballyvoyle Tunnel on Waterford Greenway is temporarily closed

The full extent of Ballyvoyle Tunnel on Waterford Greenway has been closed this morning due to emergency maintenance works.

Fencing and signage is now in place to this effect. It will be closed until further notice in order to allow crews in there to assess damage that has been caused and look at works required.

We will keep you updated in the coming days with regard to the closure or otherwise.

By Waterford City & County Council

Good news for Built heritage in Waterford

The Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has announced 2 funding schemes for Protected Structures – the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2018 (BHIS) and the Structures at Risk Fund (SRF) 2018.

The BHIS scheme seeks to leverage private capital for investment in small-scale, labour-intensive projects and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of Protected Structures and in certain cases, the conservation of structures within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACA).  Waterford has been allocated €104,000. Funding awards made under the scheme will be between €2,500 and €15,000, with applicants matching in full the grants being awarded.

Qualifying works include appropriate repair and conservation of historic structures, which are sympathetic to the character and special interest of the structure, and are of a standard that matches the historical detailing, materials and techniques.  Works that improve the energy efficiency may also be funded.   These works will contribute to the regeneration and vitality of the city’s and county’s built heritage and act as a stimulus for job creation.

The Structures at Risk Fund is only for structures that are in immediate danger of significant deterioration.  The Department will consider 4 applications per local authority. A fifth application may be made relating to an Irish Historic House in private ownership.  The minimum funding available under the SRF will be €15,000 up to a maximum grant of €30,000.

These schemes will be administered by Waterford City and County Council. Details and application forms for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme   and Structures at Risk Fund  are now available on www.waterfordcouncil.ie 

Completed application forms and photos of the structures must be submitted by email to rryall@waterfordcouncil.ie by 5 pm on 17th of January 2018. The Department will formally approve projects for funding by the 2nd of March 2018. Successful applicants must have the works completed by 28th of September 2018.

For further information or if you have any queries in relation to the scheme please contact: Rosemary Ryall, Executive Conservation Officer, Waterford City and County Council e-mail:  rryall@waterfordcouncil.ie

By Waterford City & County Council

Irish Water Phishing Email Statement

Irish Water is aware that some customers have received emails purporting to be from Irish Water with the subject line ‘Your Irish Water Account – Action required’.

Irish Water will never ask customers to update personal banking information in this way and customers should always delete emails requesting this information. Irish Water is advising anyone who receives these emails to delete them immediately. Do not reply or click on the link provided. Do not provide personal or financial details.

Irish Water has asked domestic customers who have moved property to contact us by phone on 1850 448 448 to update their details. Changes to customers’ personal details can only be updated by phone.

Irish Water has investigated this email and has requested that this fraudulent site be shut down. Irish Water is aware that during the refund process in particular attempts may be made to deceive customers with phishing emails. We have put additional resources in place in attempt to mitigate against these phishing campaigns.

If you suspect that you’ve responded to a phishing email with personal information from this or any email, take the following steps to minimise any potential damage:

  • Change the information you’ve revealed e.g. Change any passwords or PINs on the account or service that you think might have been compromised
  • Contact your bank or the service provider directly
  • Routinely review your bank and credit card statements for unexplained charges or enquiries that you didn’t initiate
  • Contact the authorities. The Garda Bureau of Fraud investigation is Ireland’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre.

Irish Water wishes to reassure customers that there has been no breach of Irish Water security systems. Customer details on Irish Water’s database are secure and have not been compromised.

There is more advice on how to identify phishing emails and what to do next on Irish Water’s website https://www.water.ie/support/fraudulent-email-advice/

ENDS

By Waterford City & County Council

DEADLINE – Register to Vote by 25th November 2017

Check the Draft Register of Electors by 25th November 2017 in order to have your voice heard.

If by 15th February 2018, you are aged 18 or over, check that your name, address and other details are present and correct on the Draft Register of Electors.

If there is a mistake, tell your Waterford Council before 25th November 2017.

The Draft Register of Electors is on display at your City/County/City and County Council’s offices, Garda Stations, Libraries, Post Offices and online at www.checktheregister.ie

By Waterford City & County Council

RAPID National Capital Grants Programme 2017

On 2nd November 2017, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, T.D., announced the launch of the recast RAPID Programme with an allocation of €2m in Capital funding for disadvantaged urban areas.

The grants programme will run initially from October 2017 to December 2017 and is focused on supporting projects that would improve the quality of life for residents in disadvantaged urban areas, providing tangible supports.

The Programme is being administered by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) along with the Municipal Districts under the remit of the Local Authorities (LAs) on behalf of the Department.

The Programme will take a national approach whereby each LA/LCDC will be given an allocation and will direct this at the areas most in need as per its assessment.  This approach will remove the need to designate any specific areas as RAPID areas.

The physical environment is an area of expertise for LAs and LCDCs, both of whom are ideally placed to identify needs and wants of local residents in disadvantaged urban areas.

Applications are now being invited for funding under this programme.  Documentation is available below.

By Waterford City & County Council

Register to Vote by 25 November 2017

Check the Draft Register of Electors by 25th November 2017 in order to have your voice heard.

If by 15th February 2018, you are aged 18 or over, check that your name, address and other details are present and correct on the Draft Register of Electors.

If there is a mistake, tell your Waterford Council before 25th November 2017.

The Draft Register of Electors is on display at your City/County/City and County Council’s offices, Garda Stations, Libraries, Post Offices and online at www.checktheregister.ie

By Waterford City & County Council

Safety Tips for Hallowe’en

halloween-safety-tipsHalloween is just around the corner, a time for trick or treating and scary costumes. Many people aren’t aware that it is illegal to burn waste of any kind. Many materials burned contain chemicals which produce toxic fumes when burned. These toxins can last for a long time in our environment.

Waterford City and County Council’s Environment Enforcement Team have been following up on reports of waste being stored in gardens, derelict houses and on public spaces in order to avoid waste accumulating in the weeks coming up to Halloween. Waterford City and County Council will be removing any waste for bonfires that is accumulating on green areas or other public spaces. This will continue into Halloween night. If you are concerned about waste being stored in a nearby area, please report it to our Enforcement Team at 0761 10 2020. This is especially important in this week leading up to Halloween, as the waste that is accumulating in your area could be used to build a bonfire.

Please follow the following tips for a safe Halloween:

  • DO report the storage or collection of bonfire materials by phoning Waterford City Council at 0761 10 2020
  • DO act responsibly and dispose of your waste legally
  • DO avail of Waterford City Council’s Bulky Goods Collection by ringing 0761102020
  • DON’T leave out materials for use in bonfires
  • DON’T leave your wheelie bin out overnight
  • DON’T allow a bonfire in your local space – ring 0761 10 2020 to report any build up of materials
  • DON’T encourage bonfires in any way
  • DON’T allow your children to organise or be involved in bonfire

Please remember that bonfires are dangerous, they cause injury to children each year and cause damage to your environment.  Think before you light a bonfire; remember – do not burn tyres, waste or any other dangerous materials.

Latest News
Made in Waterford and hosted in the EU :)