AN ANNOUNCEMENT is expected within the next fortnight on whether Broadford and Cooraclare have been successful in their bid for Government funding for wastewater treatment.
Last April, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien (FF) announced the launch of the €50m scheme for essential sewage infrastructure for rural villages. In September, Broadford and Cooraclare were submitted by Clare County Council in an official application for inclusion.
This month, Minister O’Brien is set to unveil details on successful applicants with the East Clare village of Broadford hoping to end a five decade wait for a sewerage scheme.
Deputy Joe Carey (FG) told The Clare Echo, “I met with Minister O’Brien in the Dáil, he tells me he would hope to have clarity around the middle of February. Minister O’Brien has given deadlines previously but I’d hope it would be resolved around then, I’ve invited Minister O’Brien to Clare to launch the successful applicants and I hope he takes me up on my offer”.
Under the County Development Plan which is to be adopted in the coming weeks, over fifty towns and villages in the county would be hindered from development as areas without adequate wastewater treatment will be dezoned.
Carey acknowledged that this would be “a huge hindrance” to tackling the housing crisis in Co Clare. “I’ve been campaigning for quite some time to get a scheme in place whereby smaller settlements who don’t have sewerage capacity can get into a scheme and thankfully Minister Darragh O’Brien has established such a scheme. Both Broadford and Cooraclare have been submitted by Clare County Council, I’d be very confident that both Broadford and Cooraclare will be incorporated in that scheme.
“I think it will be very positive because those settlements if they don’t have sewerage facilities which they don’t currently, because of the way it was set up they were in limbo and there was no ways or means which they could develop, I think if we can see this through and get the two settlements approved, I think there is no reason why other settlements across Co Clare can’t apply as well, it will hopefully be a multi-annual programme,” he added.
He concluded, “It is one thing saying land is being dezoned but if you don’t have the facilities then you don’t have the infrastructure and you’re not going to get there, you do need a scheme to provide the sewerage capabilities and this scheme does that, it offers that opportunity that was not there for the last number of decades through these communities to achieve their objective to provide sewerage facilities and to provide and grow in the way they want”.
