Planning application for water project in County Waterford welcomed

Sinn Féin TD, Deputy Conor D McGuinness has welcomed the submission of a planning application by Uisce Éireann for a long-awaited treated water storage project in County Waterford.

The application relates to a planned project in Lismore, but Deputy McGuinness said that while the submission is welcome it has taken too long to reach this stage. With that in mind he said the project must now be progressed without delay.

Commenting that the application marks an important step forward after years of disruption for local households, businesses and services, he said it tookm sustained pressure from the community, including petitions and ongoing public advocacy, to force movement on an issue that should have been addressed long ago.

“The submission of this planning application is welcome and it is an important step forward for Lismore, but the truth is that it has taken far too long to get to this point," he said.

"For years, people in Lismore have had to put up with an unreliable water supply, repeated outages, poor pressure and all of the disruption and frustration that comes with that," he added.

Deputy McGuinness went on to say the issue had affected households, businesses, schools, childcare settings and care services. 

"It has also held back housing development in the town at a time when additional supply is badly needed," he said.

“This did not happen overnight and it was not resolved quickly," he added.

"It has taken considerable pressure from the local community to get action, including petitions and sustained public advocacy."

He said he and his party colleague, Cllr Donnchadh Mulcahy, had consistently raised this issue and pressed for Lismore to be treated as a priority.

“The people of Lismore were fully justified in their anger," he said.

"They have been dealing with the consequences of underinvestment and delay for far too long," he added, commenting that a modern town should not be left in a position where its water infrastructure is fragile and unreliable.

“So while this is a welcome development, it must now lead to delivery," said Deputy McGuinness.

"The planning process needs to move quickly, there can be no further drift, and the necessary funding must be put in place to bring this project through to construction and completion," he added.

“The community in Lismore has waited long enough. What is needed now is urgency, follow-through and a clear commitment to finally delivering a water supply that is fit for purpose.”