Rural Waterford crying out for housing
Cllr Liam Brazil said that "it's a fright" to see land lying idle in the county when there is an urgent need for housing.
Councillors from both the Comeragh and Dungarvan/Lismore municipalities have made renewed calls in the past number of weeks for additional houses to be provided outside the city and in the west of the county.
Cllr Liam Brazil said last week that "it's a fright" to see land lying idle in the county when there is an urgent need for housing.
"When we have land we should utilize it," he said.
Cllr Brazil outlined in particular a significant need for housing in the Stradbally area.
Cllr Declan Clune told Council executives that given the demand for accommodation, any newly built homes would be snatched up by locals or people living further down the county.
“Ideally we want people from the local area living there, but I know there’s people in Kilmac going down to west Waterford for a house so there’s not going to be any problem to fill any houses.”
In this month’s meeting of councillors from the Dungarvan/Lismore area, councillors expressed a similar sentiment to their colleagues in the Comeragh district.
Cllr Donnchadh Mulcahy said that “our rural areas are being decimated”.
Meanwhile, Cllr Niamh O’Donovan said: "When we talk about social and affordable housing we generally talk about our towns and villages, but just to throw weight on rural communities like Modelligo, Ballysaggart and Tourin. Can we remember there’s wider communities in west Waterford that might need a bit of support.”
Cllr Tom Cronin said during the recent meeting: "It’s a shame that people in rural areas are looking for houses and they might have to move out because houses are not being built in their own areas. It’s not good enough in this day and age."
