The Waterford Council of Trade Unions (WCTU) has re-iterated its call for the total rejection of the €280 million city centre Brewery Development.
In a letter to An Bord Pleanála, WCTU cited the negative impact it believes the development would have on “people, landscape, architecture, archaeology, history and heritage” in the area.
The letter was co-signed by WCTU President Dick Roach and Vice President John Cloono.
In its latest submission to An Bord Pleanála dated February 18th, WCTU details its reaction to the document that applicants KRM Construction Partnership submitted to the Board in January.
Roach and Cloono contend that the streets in the area (Stephen’s St, Alexander St, Castle St and Michael St) “have no capacity to take the expected huge rise in traffic volume resulting from this development”.
Both believe that KRM’s assertion that “the development will result in an overall visual impact that is acceptable in the context of the receiving environment” is untrue.
They argue that the formation of words used by KRM regarding environmental considerations was “devised to confuse realities”.
Roach and Cloono also voiced their concerns about air quality during the development’s construction phase, as well as the additional emissions which cars and HGVs would bring into the area subsequently.
WCTU said that several structures “of value and interest”, including a stone warehouse and its undercrofts, an ancient Norman well, old tanning pits and boundary walls would face a date with a wrecking ball if the proposal proceeded.
“In rejecting this application the board will allow the applicant to go back to the drawing board,” the Union chiefs state in their concluding remarks.
This would, in their view, force the development’s stakeholders to “come up with a sensitive proposal which is respectful of both the people and history and heritage of this Norman quarter of Irelands (sic) oldest city.”