THE demographics of West Cork could be significantly altered if more isn’t done to provide rural communities with essential infrastructure, according to Independent Cllr Finbarr Harrington.
At a meeting to discuss the local authority’s housing developments over the last 12 months, Cllr Harrington welcomed the fact that there was a €130m investment in building new housing units, repairs, and retrofitting.
But he warned that Uisce Éireann needs to be able to provide drinking water and waste water services throughout West Cork if villages and towns are to develop.
He said failure to invest in these services could result in people ‘voting with their feet’ and relocating to larger popular centres where access to these amenities is a possibility.
‘We are lucky to have such a good housing department,’ he stated at the recent western committee meeting, ‘but we need to address the elephant in the room – the lack of investment by Uisce Éireann.
‘We have to keep that on the top of our agenda because if we don’t, our smaller towns and villages will be left behind. Without investment in drinking water and wastewater, people building houses will have to move elsewhere.
‘If this is not addressed by Uisce Eireann as a matter of urgency there could be a dramatic shift in rural populations migrating to larger towns and cities,’ he added.
But it is not just a lack of investment, Cllr Harrington cited other obstacles too. In Beara, he said current water supply restrictions from Glenbeg Lake – due to a habitat directive – is hindering housing developments in the villages of Ardgroom and Eyeries.
He said a similar water restriction in Castletownbere has impacted one major employer from expanding their business and creating much-needed jobs in the local area.
The independent councillor also cited drinking and wastewater infrastructural deficiencies in Dunmanway, Kealkil, Ballydehob, Schull, and Goleen.
‘Years of continuous under-investment in the water pipe network has also led to regular water breakages and outages, leaving many homes and businesses throughout the Bantry region without water for long periods, which is unacceptable,’ he added.
‘These necessary infrastructure projects must all be addressed immediately by Uisce Éireann. If not, there will be no new housing developments built for people to buy or rent in any of these areas, leaving people no choice but to move to bigger towns.’
This, he concluded, would ‘irreversibly damage our coastal and rural communities’.
