The leader of Independent Ireland has called on Uisce Éireann and the Government to update West Cork water treatment plants before the area is completely stunted.
“There isn’t going to be houses built” Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins claims that young people will not have a future in West Cork if the Government continues “misleading” the public about the possibility of building houses.
“The infrastructure is not there, it’s not there in the big cities, it’s not there in the towns, it’s not there in the villages, and if that infrastructure isn’t there, we’re going nowhere.” Michael Collins has revealed that there are no plans for the water treatment plant in Dunmanway, West Cork to be renovated until 2032.
The planning permission bans have raised concerns about the strain they will cause for the housing crisis, “If that’s [Planning Bans] the way it’s going to go on to 2032, there’s a serious, serious crisis in this country.” Collins has blamed Uisce Éireann and the government for the poor management of these plants. Currently, there is a planning permission ban on the town, there can be no houses built in the Dunmanway area until the water treatment plant is updated.
The Central Statistics Office revealed that last year, just over 28,000 homes were built, and in the first half of 2024, just over 12,000 homes were built. Ireland needs to build at least 35,000, closer to 44,000 homes every year to match the population growth. In Bandon, over the last two years planning permission for 60 homes and two businesses had been granted, and in Dunmanway, the development of 126 homes was cancelled.
The issue of water treatment plants and lack of infrastructure is not unique to West Cork, according to Collins, “There’s Dunmanway in Kerry, there’s Dunmanway in Galway, there’s Dunmanway in Waterford, there’s Dunmanway all over Ireland, and they [water treatment plants], – there was a television program recently – they are bursting at the seams, with crap coming out of them.”
Collins remarked that “there’s a lot of people very saddened and disappointed” because they “want to live in the town that they were born and raised in,” but young adults must build elsewhere due to the planning permission blocks.
Collins argues the fastest way to rectify this issue is to have local construction companies to develop the facilities. “I’ve always put forward a solution, if there’s a construction company willing, and want to build houses, as part of that, houses, will a cost come in to do with wastewater. They may not be able to take up 100% cost, but they certainly might be able to take up 40, 50%, to get that wastewater treatment plant across the line.” He believes companies want to build houses in their local area and will be willing to take up some of the cost to develop the plants.
In December, Collins called for an investigation into all state-run water infrastructure and treatment plants. This was following the conviction of Uisce Éireann for causing the death of at least 5,000 fish after releasing waste from the Freemount water treatment plant into the River Allow. Uisce Éireann was ordered to pay €6767 in fines and costs following the incident. Collins comes from a farming background and feels quite strongly that farmers are held to a higher standard than Uisce Éireann.
“I’m astonished with the EPA, because as I said, at the moment with the council, at the moment with the EPA, they’re down on top of the agriculture on the farmer, they’re pointing the finger the whole time at the farmer, and very clearly he’s breaking his but every day of the week, to keep things right, and by God if he don’t, they’re down on him like a ton of bricks, and I mean that’s the problem, but you can pour raw sewage anywhere you bloody well want, and you’re going to get away with it, and we give a little pat on the back, or a little tap on the fingers, and tell them they’re bad, and behaviour’s not going forward, and good luck.” Collins believes farmers are being forced to sell their homes and land when fined by the EPA, while Uisce Éireann receives only a reprimand after a few handshakes and winks and that it is such an “illegal racket.” He claims this practice is unfair, that all pollution should be treated equally and that farmers are “inspected within an inch of their life,” while Uisce Éireann goes “undetected.”
Collins says that a promise was made, that a minister would take responsibility for the damage done to the ecosystem, but he does not believe it is going to happen. Meanwhile, there is “raw sewage going into rivers, raw sewage. There are pictures everywhere, it’s absolutely unbelievable, and there is still a lot of money being given to Uisce Éireann, and they are saying, is not enough? You know – Well, there is 16 billion of Apple’s money lying around, it is time now to spend it properly.”
Collins wants the water treatment plants to be properly renovated in a timely manner. He believes the public is losing hope in development because no dates have been set by Uisce Éireann, and the 2032 plan has not been committed to. Collins aims for new water treatment plants to be built by 2050-2070 and constructed in a way that minimizes the need for development every 20-40 years. He believes this can be accomplished through private and national funding. “The bottom line is, in West Cork, there are systems that are broken beyond repair, they need to be put right, there’s, I think, possibilities of bringing private, as well as national funding together, and get this across the line”
Uisce Éireann responded to the comments made about them saying, they have confirmed that over €700 million has been invested in water and wastewater infrastructure across Cork since 2014, with major upgrades delivered in towns like Bandon, Macroom, Mallow, and Castletownbere. More than 60% of the €400 million spent during the 2020–2024 cycle went towards renovating critical systems.
They claimed, in Dunmanway, long-awaited works to upgrade the town’s wastewater system are now in the early planning phase. The project entered Stage 1 Strategic Assessment this year and may continue into 2026. Uisce Éireann noted that large-scale infrastructure projects “can take a number of years” due to planning, environmental, and legal processes.
In Dunmanway, what Uisce Éireann say complicates matters is the plant’s location within a designated Special Area of Conservation, home to the protected Freshwater Pearl Mussel. “Any interim or short-term solutions being considered need to have regard to the fact the Dunmanway Wastewater Treatment Plant is located in a designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC), have regard to the protection of the existing Freshwater Pearl Mussel population in the area,” the Spokesperson said.
Uisce Éireann also emphasised its engagement with local communities and elected representatives in West Cork, stating that it is committed to keeping stakeholders informed throughout the process.
