‘Great to see’ - Plan for lighting in Waterford park proceeds despite further delays

A plan to install lighting in the People’s Park in Waterford city is set to proceed despite a series of further delays.

The topic was discussed and voted on by councillors at the December Metropolitan District meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

The council plans to install LED lights in the park to allow for the safe movement of pedestrians when it is dark.

A public consultation process returned just two submissions, both of which were in favour of the development.

The proposal came before councillors with two amendments attached.

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These amendments are to allow for an Architectural Heritage Impact Assessment and an Agricultural Assessment to be carried out.

Councillors voted in favour of the amendments, but expressed their frustration at the prospect of further delays to the project.

Fianna Fáil councillor Jason Murphy said he had originally proposed lighting in the park way back in 2019 and that €100,000 was allocated for it in the council’s 2020 budget.

Although he admitted he was unconvinced on the timeline of the project, he said it will be “great to see” the park still being used during after dark hours.

The Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, echoed the sentiments of Cllr Murphy but raised a number of concerns.

He said that the carrying out of the proposed assessments is “only going to result in delaying the project further”.

Mayor Ryan argued that these assessments should’ve been carried out six years ago when the lights were first proposed.

“I think we’re putting the cart before the horse here and this project is now going to be delayed even further”.

He asked how long it would take to carry out these assessments but received no clear answer from the council executive.

Independent councillor Joe Kelly also expressed his frustrations, saying: “Things never happen around here or they are happening five, six or ten years after being raised.”

“It’s beyond me the difficulties we seem to have with this council,” he added.

He noted that the plan is for the lights to be switched off at some point during the night and asked at what time that will be.

Cllr Kelly also raised concerns over the strength, or lack thereof, of the lights set to be installed in the park.

He stated: “Although we have to keep what we might call low-key lighting in dealing with it being a park, I would suggest it has to be on a level that makes it safe.

“The idea was to make the park safe in the first place but I think very light lighting could cost an awful lot of money and not solve the problem.

“We need to have a balance between too bright and too dark - that would be my concern.”

In response, Senior Engineer Paul Johnston said that the outcome of the various assessments will determine the strength of the lights and what time they will be turned off at.

Sinn Féin councillor Joeanne Bailey asked why the lights have to be turned off at all, to which she was told it was for reasons related to costs.

She also asked how much the council expects the project will cost in comparison to the original €100,000 that was allocated in 2020.

Mr Johnston responded by saying that the cost of the project is now estimated at €250,000, but insisted that “the money is in safe hands”.

Social Democrats councillor Mary Roche raised what she described as a “snarky point”.

She stated: “One thing that drives me bananas [is] we do something as a council and then we don’t build in maintenance long term.

“We build the Millenium Plaza and we let it go to rag and ruin. And just to point out that the park does flood, so that there needs to be some kind of duct tape that is put in that is flood resistant so we know in advance.

“You know I go out to the Doneraile [Walk] and I know it’s going to be fairly similar to the lighting out there.

“The Doneraile lighting is very often out so can we build in advance that it needs to be a robust system that is going to be in an area that does get flooded.”

In response to Cllr Roche, a member of the council executive said that they are aware of the park’s tendency to flood and will account for it as the project moves forward.

After the discussion, councillors unanimously voted for the project to proceed.