Communities in Waterford 'hollowed out' due to rural housing failure

Government failure to act on rural housing is hollowing out communities.

That is the view of Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, Deputy Conor McGuinness.

The party's spokesperson on Rural Affairs, Community Development and the Gaeltacht, said the Government is presiding over the managed decline of rural and Gaeltacht communities due to its ongoing failure to tackle the rural housing crisis.

Speaking in the Dáil, where he raised the issue with the Minister for Community and Rural Development, Teachta McGuinness said: “Right across rural Ireland, in coastal villages, small towns, and Gaeltacht areas, families are being priced out or locked out of housing altogether."

"The result is emigration from rural Ireland to larger urban centres which are already under immense pressure,"he said.

"Young people who want to stay and raise families in their own communities are being pushed out and it’s tearing at the fabric of rural life," he added.

Deputy McGuinness also said the recently published National Planning Framework lacked any meaningful ambition on rural housing and the last rural development strategy failed to acknowledge the issue.

“The National Planning Framework, passed just weeks ago, lacks any meaningful ambition when it comes to rural housing, and the government’s rural strategy says little or nothing about the number one issue affecting rural communities," said Deputy McGuinness.

"That is a total abdication of responsibility," he added.

"While much of the housing brief sits with another Minister, the Department of Rural and Community Development cannot sit idly by while rural communities are hollowed out," said Deputy McGuinness.

"This crisis is undermining GAA clubs, forcing school closures, and pushing families into deep distress," he added, before going on to comment: “Urgent measures are needed. Rural communities are crying out for action – social and affordable housing in rural towns and villages, affordable serviced sites for self-builds, and a planning system that reflects the real needs of rural families."

He said they were basic, achievable demands.

"Without urgent intervention, the managed decline of rural Ireland will become official policy," he said.

“Sinn Féin is ready to deliver a rural housing strategy that actually works. One that supports families, protects communities, and gives young people the choice to stay in the places they call home.”