Sale of Waterford North Quays site delayed

A PORT authority and CIÉ have locked horns over claims that Iarnród Éireann is blocking the sale of a 13.5-acre site that holds the key to a €100m-plus development on Waterford’s North Quays.

The development on the wharves between Rice Bridge and Abbey Church would help rebalance the city where growth has traditionally centred on the south side of the Suir and would bring the single largest investment ever made in Waterford, says the chairman of Waterford's Port Authority.

A price of well over €1m per acre was expected to be paid for the riverside landbank which is surplus to the port's requirements following the transfer of commercial shipping activity down-river to the deepwater port at Belview.

However, Port of Waterford chairman Cllr Ben Gavin says the sale is being delayed by what he has described as the "wholly unreasonable" stance being taken by Iarnród Éireann.

"The port and its representatives have been involved in negotiations for some time now with CIÉ and Iarnród Éireann and understood on more than one occasion that a deal had been completed.

"The company has apparently now reversed a previous decision that would have seen them receive a six-figure sum from the Port of Waterford for agreeing to clear the way for the sale.

"They are instead now insisting that they impose restrictive covenants on the Port of Waterford covenants that would remain with the port permanently rather than being transferred with the sale of the land which is standard commercial practice."

Iarnród Éireann said the proposed sale of the lands has its support and that the rail group understands and appreciates the importance of the development.

"The responsibility for the upkeep of the boundary is the only issue. The port wants to transfer the upkeep to third party developers," a spokesperson said. "But because there is a safety issue involved here with the controlled safety of a level crossing in question, we have to be extra careful.

"A possible solution would be if the Port Authority were to dispose of the land on a ground lease. We use this facility ourselves because it is strong in enforceability. We do want to resolve this matter quickly."

Located between the N25 Waterford-Rosslare road and the Suir, the North Quays are an assembly of man-made wharves and currently consist mainly of open spaces in which lifting cranes, temporary storage sheds, large mill buildings and silos serve as reminders of Waterford's 20th century industrial and maritime tradition.