The Case for a Boundary Extension on the Northern Side of Waterford Prepared: November 2015 Table of Contents Introduction 1 Concentric Development—The Need 2 Extent of the Boundary Extension 5 The Planning Land Use & Transportation Study 6 A Strong Waterford is Vital 8 A Clear and Concise Voice for Waterford 9 Flawed Planning Policies and Lack of Investment 10 Democratic Representation & Efficiency and Adequacy of Services 12 Perpetuating Failure 14 The Future 15 INTRODUCTION Nearly every city in the world grows concentrically unless physically or politically impeded from doing so. Concentric development allows for maximum efficiency, competitiveness and branding and its absence is a major retarder to performance. The people of Waterford, the South-East Region and indeed the country as a whole need a strong Waterford. The existing administrative arrangements have meant that, despite the opportunity being available to Kilkenny for nearly a century, development of consequence hasn’t happened on the northern side of the river. Einstein’s definition of insanity applies – it hasn’t happened and it won’t happen under existing arrangements. Democratic representation and efficiency in services can be best delivered by an organisation headquartered on people’s doorstep, if adherence to subsidiarity or proximity is to have any meaning as principles for proper local government. In practice Waterford has been the front-line local service provider to residents in the Committee’s area of interest for decades. The extent of a boundary extension has been in effect defined by the Planning, Land Use and Transportation Study and the Ferrybank-Belview Area Plan. It is vital for the future development of Waterford as the Gateway City that the Port of Waterford is included in an extended boundary. A single clear and concise voice is needed to make Waterford stronger and financial arrangements are not and should not be the determining influence. In any case this Council will not require extensive compensation to correct the decades of under-investment and would view that the economic gain from a unified urban area will facilitate the correction of many of the deficiencies over time. There simply is no effective alternative to a boundary extension. Political trust has been damaged over decades on both sides and competition between Kilkenny and Waterford will always militate against and prevent an effective co-operative solution. Page 1 CONCENTRIC DEVELOPMENT – THE NEED Nearly every city in the world grows concentrically as a result of normal market forces unless constrained from doing so. The following maps highlight the lack of consistency in relation to previous boundary extensions in Waterford compared with the historical extensions in Cork and Dublin and they also underscore the rationale for a city’s port to be located within the administrative boundary of a city. Fig. 1 Map of Waterford City historical boundary extensions and Waterford Port © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. Fig. 2 Map of Cork City and Port in historical boundary extensions © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. Page 2 Fig. 3 Map of Dublin City and Port in historical boundary extensions © Ordnance Survey Ireland. All rights reserved. In 2004, Frank McDonald wrote in the Irish Times that ‘lopsided development has hampered Waterford’s attempts to show off its best assets that front onto the River Suir’ and in the same article it was noted that the administrative arrangements have rendered Waterford as a ‘bird with one wing’. This lopsided development has significantly damaged Waterford’s capacity to fulfil its role as a Regional Gateway and as one of the largest economic drivers in the state. Fig. 4 ‘Bird‘Bird withwith oneone wing’wing’ Republic of Ireland RGB & CIR - © Bluesky International Ltd. Page 3 This is not the sole reason that Waterford has underperformed its peers but it is the major reason. Why is this the case? Services are more expensive as they remove from the centre – sewerage facilities in particular require expensive central upgrades to enhance capacity and outward expansion inevitably leads to pumping and less cost effective solutions. All forms of connectivity to the city centre are weaker with transportation in particular far less cost effective and more time consuming. For example the development of efficient bus routes is significantly compromised and each and every engagement between the citizen and the Centre is more time consuming on the average with the attendant loss of productivity. The city centre is inherently weaker if it is not at the centre of the urban space – the more people in greater proximity to the Centre the greater its vitality and vibrancy. The centres capacity to fulfil its role as the predominant employment base and the greatest informer of reputation for Waterford is retarded significantly by development being pushed further and further away to one side only. Example: By extending the Boundary and bringing the population of the area into Waterford is solely of its peers dependent on one Waterford will further enhance the rationale for the planned investment in City Centre bridge because the North Quays and it will strengthen Waterford as the Gateway City for of the lack of concentric development. the South-East Region. Page 4 EXTENT OF BOUNDARY EXTENSION The Boundary Committee has declared an area of interest which is broadly consistent with the spatial area provided for in the Planning Land Use and Transportation Study as outlined in Fig. below. Fig 5: PLUTS Future City This visualises the future city, indicates the zones for development and it is simply irrational to place an artificial boundary within this area. It will be the single economic zone for Waterford and requires once voice, single leadership and appropriate representation for its leaders. The Kilkenny County Development Plan 2014-2020 recognises the Ferrybank/Belview area as being ‘an integral part of the Gateway City for the South East Region’. The Kilkenny Local Area Plan for the Ferrybank/ Belview area effectively acknowledges this as well viewing that the area requires to be planned as a whole. The Report of the Limerick Local Government Committee concluded; The totality of Limerick City, i.e. the contiguous urban area, should not be managed by multiple local authorities. The boundary of the city area should encompass the entire contiguous urban area, with some additional space for future development. Future development in and around the boundary must support the status of Limerick city and, in particular, the city centre. Enhanced cooperative arrangements, pursued in isolation of other changes, would not Page 5 The Planning Land Use and Transportation Study The Planning Land Use & Transportation Study (PLUTS) completed and adopted by all three Councils in 2003 further reinforces this proposition specific to Waterford. A detailed analysis of all transportation issues, the rational location of employment bases, the need for sustainability in transportation solutions and maximisation of efficiency and economic potential all determined that the future Waterford City would have to grow to the northern side. In many respects this was not particularly politically palatable to the Waterford Councils at the time, but the logic was so compelling that no rational argument could be proposed to counter it. The logic is every bit as valid today and will be in the future. As a consequence the future urban entity that is Waterford is clearly defined in the mapping relating to the Planning Land Use and Transportation Study. Notwithstanding the agreed framework in the PLUTS, subsequent actions and decisions of Kilkenny County Council would not give any comfort or reassurance of co-operation. This is not unique or indeed unusual – the Report of the Limerick Local Government Committee highlighted ‘uncoordinated policy and competition between local authorities’ and instances where ‘strategies and policies agreed at regional level have not translated into actual decision making at individual local authority level’. View of Waterford City from north side of River Suir Page 6 Waterford Harbour and the Port of Waterford Company The PLUTS recognised the Port of Waterford is a “key national and strategic asset” and proposed to further develop the area adjacent to the Port as a major employment development node. The Port of Waterford Company was established under the Harbours Act 1996 with the expressed purposes of managing and developing Waterford Harbour. The Port has a significant economic linkage with the city. Up until 1992 the Port was located in the heart of the city and as capacity demand increased it was necessary to expand further down-river. The future economic development of Waterford City will be closely linked with having sufficient transportation infrastructure and the location of both Waterford Port and Waterford Airport within the boundary of Waterford City and County Council will ensure that an integrated approach can be ensured in future planning for the Gateway City for the South-East Region. The Report of the Limerick Local Government Committee is also relevant on this issue concluding that situations where primary assets (in Limerick’s case, the University of Limerick) cross local authority boundaries should be avoided. View of Port of Waterford from south side of River Suir Page 7 A STRONG WATERFORD IS VITAL It is an imperative for the people of the area, the region and the country that Waterford has the greatest possible capacity to perform from both an economic development and societal perspective. From an economic development perspective: The capacity of our major urban centres is critical to our future competitiveness internationally. As a centre of 50,000 people Waterford is the only viable Gateway for the South-East and needs to be the predominant economic driver. A unified urban area can deliver greater opportunity for all its citizens. From a societal perspective: The building of community in the wider urban context can only be achieved without artificial boundaries.