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Seanad
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Town infrastructure audit

Summary

Senator O'Donovan argued that rapid housing growth in west Cork must be matched by an audit of town amenities and social infrastructure.

I have raised in the House a number of times the issue of infrastructure development in our towns and villages across the country, primarily for me in west Cork. Thankfully, we are seeing houses being built in many of our towns. We are seeing hundreds of homes being built in the towns of Bandon and Clonakilty. While we are coming to terms with the infrastructure around that in terms of wastewater and water facilities and services, there is a need to audit the towns for amenities and social infrastructure as well. We talk a lot about that, but we actually have to get down to basics and go and do it. I believe there is a role for local authorities in assessing the towns in town planning. They all have planning policy units that can go in and assess all the clubs and social services. Last week, I met representatives of the family resource centre in Bandon, which is a town that is coming close to 10,000 people. They see the social infrastructure that is missing in the town and the implications this will have for the town going forward. I am calling for the Department of housing to get involved with the local authorities and ask them to create an initiative for the interactive assessment of these towns. Once towns can be assessed, we can create a plan. It is well said in west Cork that Bandon, Clonakilty and Skibbereen need plans. Those plans can be interactive, visual ones for all the various Departments so that when they come along to support towns, be it with healthcare or childcare facilities, the needs have been assessed, are visible and are clearly seen. At least we, as politicians, and our communities that we serve, can see a plan for these towns. We need to get serious and actually deliver an interactive audit and plan. If it is a case of looking at European best practice, let us see how other countries do it. I would like there to be a policy. I would like there to be a debate in this House on some stage, which I might call for.

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