Plans were unveiled today for a skyscraper at the heart of a €380 million redevelopment of an old iron foundry in Waterford city.
The 32-storey building is the centrepiece of an ambitious riverside proposal by developer William Bolster which includes a hotel, restaurants, offices and apartments.
An impression of how the Bolster skyscraper will look. Photo: PA
A planning application for the scheme for the brown-field former Waterford Stanley lands beside the River Suir at Bilberry are to be lodged with Waterford City Council within two weeks.
Mr Bolster, a local developer, said the planned 119-metre skyscraper — which would be twice the size of Dublin's Liberty Hall — would include a 'sky view' area with unprecedented views of the city and surrounding counties.
"The taller iconic buildings are also a bold statement about Waterford's ambitions and confidence as gateway to the southeast while it is a plus of our scheme that it will bring a disused former industrial site in to appropriate
21st Century life," he said.
The developer said the project, called Water Haven, would create 400 building jobs during the construction phase and a similar number on its proposed completion date in 2014.
The skyscraper would include 22 floors of apartments above 10 floors of offices with a 20-metre high "roof feature" designed to echo the nearby cable stay bridge included in the Waterford City Bypass.
A 15-storey, 156-bedroom hotel, with underground parking and a large conference centre with a capacity of up to 500 delegates, is to be linked at the 10th floor to the taller office and apartment building, under the plans.
The scheme, which is subject to planning permission being granted, also envisages a leisure and fitness centre with gymnasium, spa and swimming pool and marinas with 80 berths. The residential component would include 395 apartments designed and sized to suit families, couples, sharers and sole occupants, according to Mr Bolster.
Meanwhile, planning applications are to be lodged with Dublin City Council this week for a €1.2 billion redevelopment of the former Carlton Cinema site on the capital's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street.
The proposal incorporates new streets, squares, hundreds of apartments and shops as well as a 'Park in the Sky' sloping green space with panoramic views over the city.
PA