The Apple Market – A Slice of Café Culture in Waterford

It has taken a part of the city with great potential to the next level for citizens and visitors to enjoy.

The regeneration of the Apple Market has breathed new life into an historic and popular part of Waterford City. A trading location for fruit and vegetables in the 18th century, today it is the heart of the entertainment district with some of the City’s best restaurants and bars.

Before the urban regeneration works, the Apple Market had lost its role as a place for people to gather and trade and had become a rather cluttered thoroughfare for vehicles. The €7.2 million investment, with €3.6 million coming from the ERDF through the Southern & Eastern Regional Programme 2014-20, transformed the Apple Market into a contemporary urban quarter for people to gather – creating a slice of European café culture in the heart of the city!

The works created a striking, yet practical urban space which considered the businesses along the perimeter of the area with the aim to create a covered external space that would extend enjoyment of the city into the evenings – whatever the weather. A reflective material was developed locally to create the 1,400 square metre triangular-shaped canopy to create a spectacular mirrored ceiling effect. The entire Apple Market was repaved with Portuguese granite and Leinster limestone to complete the upgrade.

The regeneration of the Apple Market has seen the space transform into one where citizens and visitors alike gather for entertainment such as concerts, street theatre, markets, outdoor screenings as well as the nightlife. See how this regeneration project has brought together the businesses from the surrounding area to celebrate all occasions and bring life to this historic part of the city – www.theapplemarket.ie