Events & Festivals

On Tuesday, July 29^th Waterford City and County Council elected representatives and management team visited a number of rural regeneration and community projects in County Waterford.

The first port of call was Mahon Bridge to view the new playground, repairs to the walkway at Crough Woods and the newly added car park, all funded under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS).

Mahon Bridge is popular at all times of year and particularly during holiday periods. Due to the increased visitor numbers which has led to traffic congestion issues along the local roads, there was a requirement to provide additional parking at this location.

The new facility includes 106 car parking spaces, four EV charging bays and two disabled parking bays, along with a set down area, seating and bike parking, pathway with planting and wetlands with biodiversity planting and a soakway area.

Next stop was Colligan View where the group was updated on progress on Local Community Safety Partnership projects taking place in the community and to view the proposed site for community allotments.

At Cappoquin, several projects which form part of the Cappoquin Town Centre Regeneration Strategy were showcased. With primary funding sourced through the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht’s RRDF, the investment is augmented by additional funding from Waterford City and County Council, the Cappoquin Regeneration Company, Waterford Leader Partnership and the Tomar Trust.  This community led, multi-stakeholder initiative aims to address vacancy and dereliction in the town centre and re-energise the town’s public realm.

In Lismore, councillors toured the former Bank of Ireland building on West Street, which is being converted into a boutique style hotel and includes five glamping pods, each with vehicular access.  They then visited the grounds of the former hospital which is being regenerated for the Lismore Men’s Shed project, where men can socialise and share skills with the aim of improving mental health and well-being.

At Knockanore the group viewed the recently opened Astroturf pitch, community walkway, and health centre, which were funded through the collective efforts of the Knockanore Glendine Kilwatermoy Development Group, the Leader Project, the Tomar Trust, Active Travel Investment and Waterford City and County Council.

Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr. Seamus Ryan said that the not only did the projects bring new amenities to the towns, but they also brought with them a sense of community and connectedness.

“What we have seen here today is a host of exciting public and private partnership projects that have enhanced each and every community.  From housing and active travel projects, to sporting and heritage projects, each one of these was only possible with the vision of the Council and the knowledge and determination of the respective community partners, who gave so generously of their time.”

The final stop was to An Rinn to view the state-of-the-art Fiontar Phobal All Weather pitch, which since opening in June has proved a dynamic hub for local sports participation, training and community engagement.

Sean McKeown, Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council added, “Today’s visits were case in point of the immense results that Government agencies, local authorities and community and voluntary groups can achieve by working together for the betterment of our communities. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and informative day, and it was very well received by the elected members.  The range of projects we visited reflected exceptionally well on the breadth and quality of work being carried out by the Council.”

Mr. McKeown concluded, “What stood out clearly is the strength of the positive working relationships that have been built with stakeholders and local communities in particular. That collaboration is central to successful project delivery.”