Not ‘a prayer’ of new houses in one Kilkenny town

People hoping for a social house in Bennettsbridge haven’t ‘a prayer’ according to one local councillor.

Although 13% of first preferences for a council house in the Callan Thomastown area are for the town, the third most popular choice in the district, the lack of water infrastructure is preventing any new development.

Callan Thomastown Municipal District chair, Cllr Deirdre Cullen, criticised Uisce Eireann for the lack of services.

There are at least 40 housing applicants with Bennettsbridge as their first preference as a place to live, she said, but there’s “not a prayer” of them getting a house in town unless water infrastructure is developed.

Cllr Michael Doyle said he had been giving out about the issue for a long time. The prospect of development in all small areas is now down to Uisce Eireann (Irish Water).

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS

He was not targeting Kilkenny County Council, he said, but it was affecting all districts and is down to underfunding by central government.

This is “stifling and stopping growth in rural Ireland,” he said. “We’re not even looking for growth, we just want to stay where we are.”

Looking down the list of preferred locations indicated by housing applicants, Cllr Doyle said there is no development planned in many of them, including Bennettsbridge, Graignamanagh, Inistioge, The Rower and Ballyhale.

“It’s unfortunate that investment isn’t going to happen for years. Rural Ireland is in a vulnerable position.”

Cllr Doyle went on to say that growth has been allowed to happen in areas like Callan, Thomastown and Rosbercon because these towns have water services. “Hardly any place else can even build a development of 10 houses,” he said, adding that, for example, a development of 10 houses in a community like Hugginstown “would keep the place alive.”

The councillor said that housing schemes currently planned by Kilkenny County Council are “brilliant” and he supported the council’s efforts to bring vacant properties back into use, that they are “trying their best,” he is “absolutely disgusted there is no action whatsoever” on water and waste water infrastructure services across the district.

Kilkenny County Council Senior Executive Architect, Jan McIntyre, who attended the meeting to set out planned housing developments in the area, said council officials share the councillors’ frustration.

The lack of connections to the water services mean the council is constrained in its work, she said, but they would ‘keep going the best we can.’

Director of Services, Fiona Deegan, said they had written to Uisce Eireann with their concerns after the last municipal district meeting.