The Oral Hearing by An Bord Pleanala on case 224299, KRM Construction bid to build the 280 million euro ‘Newgate Centre', reached its climax last Thursday with none of the parties who took part amending their stance on the planning dispute.

Submissions, question and answer sessions along with arguments to and from the applicants, appellants and observers were all heard bu it seems that the decision by An Bord Pleanala will be the final act in the planning saga in the city centre.

After the oral hearing, the participants spoke on their thoughts on the hearing and if the proceedings had cast any doubts in their minds and on the development.

Paul Miskella, Chief Executive of the KRM Construction Partnership, said: "That will be down to what the board decide. The conditions that the board impose. There is no point trying to second guess someone else…I thi...
Read More »

Waterford AiRport, which recently celebrated having 100,00 passengers using the Airport for the year so far, claim that they are on course to meet their target of having 115,000 passengers by the end of the year.

Graham Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of Waterford Airport, said that the Airport is ahead of target and that they will reach their goal on the basis that they have already got 100,000 of those passengers using Waterford Airport.

So far, niche market airline, Aer Arann, are the only carrier to have a permanent base at Waterford Airport but the airport authorities believe that the Airport could very well facilitate a second Aer Arann craft.

According to fig...
Read More »

Deloitte and Waterford Chamber will host a FREE briefing on ‘Attracting and retaining key staff' in the final briefing in their 2007 business seminar series. The briefing will take place in Dooleys Hotel on Thursday 22 November at 5.30pm.

Attracting and retaining key staff is critical to building and maintaining a successful business. The briefing will focus on three main topics: implementing a talent management strategy; remuneration as an effective mechanism to attract and retain talent and tax efficient remuneration.

The briefing will be chaired by Paddy McMahon, Head of Human Resources, Ivax – Teva. Speakers at the event will be Mark O'Donnell, Director, Human Capital, Deloitte and Sarah Conry, Senior Manager, Tax, Deloitte.

For further information on this event please contact Sheila Quinn, Waterford Chamber, on 051 311135 or sheila.quinn(at)waterfor...
Read More »

Astute company directors in the south-east have long recognised the value of having local access to international and nationally-recognised companies. The recent marketing collaboration between customer relations services provider, rigneydolphin and marketing, design and web agency Marla, highlights the wealth of service expertise available to small, medium and large organisations in Waterford and beyond.

 Rigney Dolphin's recent announcement of an additional €5m investment in Waterford, and the creation of 250 jobs over the next eighteen months, underpins the company's commitment to the local community while testifying to its ongoing national and global success. According to Rigney Dolphin CEO, Celi...
Read More »

Regular Internet users will know that Google is the main search engine used in Ireland. Now Google has added a further free facility, aimed at local businesses. The whole country is covered in great detail on Google maps, and now people using those maps can search for business in the map and have their full details including location displayed.

Conor O'Nolan from web design company Webwizards has been following online mapping developments for many years. "In the last year online maps from Yahoo and Google have become excellent free resources" said O'Nolan. Now local business can register their details free and be included on Google map searches. "This is particularly useful for truly local services like restaurants, solicitors, accountants etc. because not only does the user find the name and phone number, they can also see the exact street location" he said. To see how it works, go to maps...
Read More »

A man is appeared in Waterford District Court this week after Waterford Gardai arrested, and subsquently charged the man in connection with the overturning of a trailer from a truck on Rice bridge on Monday afternoon.

A spokesperson for Waterford Garda station declined to state what the charge was but did say that the Vehicle, an articultated truck, was brought in for examination after the man was arrested at the scene on the Monday that the incident occurred.

Waterford-based IVAX Pharmaceuticals Ireland, part of Teva Group, has signed a three year sponsorship agreement which will provide financial and other support for the St Saviour's GAA Club, based in Ballybeg, Waterford, close to the company's three manufacturing facilities at the IDA Industrial Park.

Tom McCabe, IVAX General Manager, said: "We undertook to sponsor the St Saviour's GAA Club as our main ‘Sport in the Community' project over the next three years, because of the high level of involvement in the club by many of our own employees. We were also very impressed by the dedication of all involved in the club, both at player and club levels. We believe that sponsoring St Saviours is an appropriate way ...
Read More »

"Competition good for consumer"

Following statements by Waterford City & County Councils, a spokesperson for Mr Binman has reassured Waterford householders that the company is providing its service through Flynn Transport Ltd which holds a licence for the collection of waste in Waterford City. (Flynn Transport Permit Number is WCP/KK/260/(A)07).

Mr Binman already has a licence to collect refuse in Waterford County and has made alternative arrangements for collection in Waterford City through Flynn Transport Ltd pending approval of its direct licence which it expects to be approved shortly.

"We have made these arrangements so that we can bring choice and the benefits of a vastly improved, environmentally friendly, waste collection service to the residents of Waterford city and County," commented Mr Joe Cleary, General Manager, Mr Binman. "The experience of the int...
Read More »

The Waterford branch of the Irish wildlife trust held their Annual General Meeting on October 22nd at the Irish National Biodiversity Data Centre. Our hosts for the evening explained the current work of the centre and future plans. We look forward to inputting into their database in the future.

Joanne Pender, Development Officer with the IWT Head Office thanked the branch for their ongoing commitment to wildlife conservation. She outlined ways in which local branches can work more effectively with Head Office.

The formal part of the meeting followed and the outgoing committee of Marie Power, Mary Higgins, Bernie Barrett, Andrew Cox, Ray McGrath and Dennis Cullen were re-elected for another year.

Please mark Monday, December 10th in your diary. We are hosting a Christmas Table Quiz and social evening at the Mansion House pub in Waterford City. The start time is 20.45....
Read More »

The Irish Cancer Society will host a free public meeting on Tuesday 27th November in the Tower Hotel, Waterford at 7pm for all who have been affected by or have a family history of bowel cancer or have any concerns about bowel cancer.

There will be presentations on the prevention of bowel cancer, the role of screening and the importance of the early detection. There will also be presentations on surgery and chemotherapy in the treatment of bowel cancer.

Speakers at the meeting will include Mr Peter Murchan, Colorectal Surgeon, South Tipperary General Hospital, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary; Dr Greg Leonard, Consultant Medical Oncologist, Waterford Regional Hospital, Ms Claire Browne, Senior Clinical Nutritionist and Anne Murphy, Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Cork University Hospital. A bowel cancer survivor will also address the audience.

The latest data from the National ...
Read More »

Waterford-based Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Martin Cullen officially launched the Pilot Training College of Ireland's new flight simulator.

This new training device replicates the Piper Seminole PA-44 aircraft and features a visual system that provides locally-generated weather, moving models and special effects, enabling student pilots studying in the Waterford-based college to experience flying in conditions as close to reality as it is possible.

Speaking at the launch at the Flight Simulator Centre in the Waterford Airport Business Park, Minister Cullen said: "It was in fact at the International Paris Air Show on 19 June last, that your enterprise - which is the fastest growing aviation training organisation in Europe - signed a contract worth €400,000 to acquire this fixed-base flight training device manufactured by Mechtronix Systems - one of the world's l...
Read More »

A delegation from the Waterford Chamber of Commerce, including its president, Andrew O'Neill, met with the London Chamber of Commerce last week to discuss tendering opportunties for the 2012 Olympics for its member companies.

In what has been described as a ‘solo-run' by the Chamber on the potenial business in the 2012 Olympics in London and in the preparation for the event, the incumbent President of Waterford Chamber, Andrew O'Neill, who was in London just last week said: "It is just something that we have come across and we see it as being of benefit to our members and like everything, it's up to people to be on the lookout for opportunities and we saw this and ran with it".

The opportunities for Waterford-based businesses for the 2012 London Olympics, whose bid pipped France to the post in 2005, lie beyond just the construction sector, according to Chamber President A...
Read More »

The Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA) was formed over 40 years ago. In the 1960's, services for people with physical disability were meagre, sporadic or in some cases non-existent. From the outset IWA services were driven by the needs of members, a central goal was the integration of people with disabilities into the community. By the 1970's IWA had over 1,000 members, today there are over 20,000 members and IWA continues to grow.

In a testimony to its growth and progression in the Waterford area, The Irish Wheelchair Association has been invited to switch on the Christmas lights in Dungarvan Shopping Centre on Saturday, November 17th this year. This eagerly awaited annual event s...
Read More »

Elaine Sarah Comerford Goldsmith and Jewellery Designer is a native of Dunhill, Co. Waterford, where she has lived all her life and has now built her own first home with her partner Mark who is also a native of Waterford.

Elaine Sarah comes from a family of creative people; and says that it is because of the influence that her parents had on her that has given her the desire to become the designer that she is today: "Growing up in Ireland in a very artistic family, I was always encouraged to be my own person and be confident in what I do. Being the youngest of a large family of course, I was determined to make my voice heard. I was never afraid to experiment with fashion, always pushing the boundaries, and I suppose this is where the concept of custom made jewellery came from"

This young Goldsmith trained in Kilkenny with the Crafts Council of Ireland, learning to create piec...
Read More »

beyond control of both Supporters and Opposition.

After nearly three full working days of opening statements, question and answer sessions and closing arguments, the oral hearing came to an end last Thursday in the early hours of the evening to put in place the final round of decisions regarding the Newgate/KRM Construction partnership bid in the city centre.

Closing arguments were made by the appellants in front of the Planning Inspector in Attendance, Conor McGrath first by the appellants.

Frederic O'Dwyer of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government was first to make his closing arguments first of all stating that central government had a good working relationship with Waterford City Council even though their views differed on this occasion.

Mr. O'Dwyer also stated that more investigation needed to be done by the design t...
Read More »

The local Amnesty International group will be holding its last pre-Christmas stand of the year next Tuesday November 27th, at City Square.

Christmas cards and candles supporting Amnesty International's work in the field of human rights will be on sale. Material on Amnesty's ongoing campaigns will also be available and everyone is invited to visit the stand. Application forms can be provided to anyone interested in becoming a member of Amnesty. Further information on Amnesty International on the websites www.ardkeen.ie/amnesty and www.amnesty.ie.

Cards, candles and gift items can also be purchased by phoning Secretary Helga O'Donnell on 051 304199.

The annual Eagle Star & Tennis Ireland Club of the year awards took place on Friday 16th November in Fitzwilliam Tennis Club, Dublin. Now in its sixth year, the awards seek to recognise and reward best practice at club level in the promotion and development of the sport of Tennis throughout the country.

St. Anne's Waterford Tennis Club beat out stiff competition from Templeogue Tennis Club to win the Large Club of the Year Award. They also went on to win the outright Supreme Club of the Year 2007 beating Sandycove and Ballypatrick at this year's Awards ceremony.

"To be recognised as the best club in the country out of all 200 affiliated clubs in Ireland is a fantastic reward for ...
Read More »

‘Dave's Jungle' is just one of the events of this year's Science Week to have been hailed a great success by its organisers, Waterford Institute of Technology's CALMAST.

Designed for primary school pupils, ‘Dave's Jungle' brought their not-so-cuddly charges to Waterford Institute of Technology, so the children could come face to face with snakes, spiders, scorpions, and lizards.

"‘Dave's Jungle' has been an incredibly popular programme in this year's Science Week", says CALMAST's Dr Sheila Donegan. "This was a chance for the children to meet some very different animals up close, to touch and learn all about them. Even the children who were less keen to be introduced to the animals at first were soon fascinated by the snakes and scorpions."

Science week was not only for school children, though, as Dr Donegan explained: "The idea of Science Week is to...
Read More »

Nemeton Television has just wrapped on a documentary exploring the growing problem of the depletion of salmon stocks in the North Atlantic sea and the Pacific Ocean last week.

The programme gives the harrowing facts and presents us with the horrifying reality of the immenent depletion of stocks of salmon sooner rather than later. An Bradán Feasta will be shown as part of a mini series on TG4 on the fishing industry in Ireland entitled An Bradán Feasa. There will be two other documentaries in the series, An Maor and Íobairtí which will be shown on the 2nd December and the 9th December respectively at 9.30pm. An Bradán Feasta will air on the 16th December at the same time.

In 2007 the government made the difficult economic decision of imposing a ban on drift net fishing after lobbying from the independent salmon group. Although there was much support for this initiative, it was s...
Read More »

The 2007 Waterford City Council Environment awards took place last week with the new City Manager, Michael Walsh, and Mayor of Waterford City, Cllr Mary O Halloran, both giving addresses to the audience in attendance, some of them winners of awards themselves.

The ceremony at City Hall, which contained five DVD presentations from The Tidy Schools Awards to the Abbeylands residence association, also tackled the problem of litter, particulary from lunchtime and after public house house hours, in the People's park and City Centre areas of John and Michael Street.

In his address to the audience in the final half hour of the ceremony, the City manager called for a ‘commonality' in working for the enviornment and the need to ‘present the city better' in the future.

While congratulating and commenting the environmental staff at the counci including those who p...
Read More »

The Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche TD, has said that while he is an enthusiastic supporter of referenda, he believes they pose a real challenge to the integrity of politicians.

"People will try to bring in every extraneous issue under the sun in a referendum", he said. "But that's simply the challenge to those who will be proposing that the Reform Treaty is the way forward", the Minister added."The Reform Treaty is quintessentially democratic. It improves the democratic nature of our Union. If anybody is in any doubt, just read the values that are written into that. It's well worth fighting for."

As a Member of the National Forum On Europe, Mr Roche was taking part in a Forum panel session with the European Youth Parliament in Dublin Castle (Wednesday 14th November 2007.) The session, attended by 300 young people from 29 countries, ranged across topics li...
Read More »

One of the biggest stories, if not the biggest, of the last decade has been the unprecedented economic success that Ireland has witnessed. It seems that we are still coming to terms with an event that has made us into one of the richest and most successful countries in all of Europe. While for many years we were looked upon as a poor country dependent on hand outs from Brussels we now stand out as a beacon for what economic success can do for a country and for an economy. There are many factors for the upswing in our economy but a lot has to be put down to the sheer hard work of all sectors of society in this country.

It has to be remembered that wealth does not come from nowhere and while successive governments might want to take credit for the good times that we are going through now it is mainly down to the hard work of the men and women of Ireland that we have to thank for our good...
Read More »