Mr. Denis McCarthy:

It did. The vacancy level in the town is 17%, which is significant, given the population and the number of properties. In a larger town, 17% might not be as much, but in our situation 86 properties out of 505 are vacant.

Senator Dolan referred to disabilities. We became involved with a local fishing club and purchased a Wheelyboat which allows disabled people to go onto the River Blackwater to fish.

Volunteerism is not a difficulty for us. I am not blowing our trumpet in that regard. Our organisation formed in 1993 with 16 people, ten of whom are still involved. There are 14 people currently involved in total. We probably had no choice other than to stay involved because we spent €3.2 million on a community centre and had to repay the loan. It is almost paid off, with only €80,000 outstanding. We raised money through various means. The community centre houses community childcare, the education and training board, a gymnasium, a sports hall, a theatre and a commercial kitchen. We must stay with it. None of us will be leaving the organisation at this stage. Burnout is an issue for many people because they do not get the support or moneys they require, which makes them despondent.

Senator Dolan raised an issue regarding training for new groups. I do not know whether it is still available, but in 1993 we did two years of community education training modules that were run by the Waterford Leader Partnership. I do not know whether they are still available for new entrants. FÁS may have been involved in running them.

Deputy Stanley raised several issues regarding property being concentrated in too few hands in our situation. There is a historical element as there are significant ground issues in Cappoquin. Much of the property is still owned by landlords. That creates a problem as 108 of the 505 properties in the town are rental properties. That leads to a revolving door situation whereby people come to the town, get a rental property, get on the housing ladder, get a council house and then more people come in. There are too many rental properties. I know that people must get on the housing ladder and get housing, but the number of rental properties in the town militates against having permanent residents. I do not know how to address that issue. Some of the rental properties are vacant and derelict. We are purchasing a share of those properties.

Reference was made to the compulsory purchase order, CPO, process. Waterford County Council has begun a CPO process in respect of four properties in Cappoquin. It has been successful in respect of two of the properties and the other two will go to oral hearings in the next couple of weeks. In addition, the council has issued derelict site notices. We need that process to continue. We know there is an issue in terms of conservation.

Deputy Stanley referred to retrofitting costs. We have found that the cost of retrofitting is a multiple of ten of the purchase cost of the building. That means the value of the building when completed is less than the cost of its renovation. Without significant grant assistance, such renovation is impossible. There is no way around that. That is where assistance must come in.

Deputy Niamh Smyth raised the issue of the centre of a town being key. In Dungarvan, the town council took the view that it would not allow development outside the ring road in the town. That has maintained all development inside the ring road and that has been very beneficial for Dungarvan. The greenway has also been a big assistance to the town. It probably rivals Kinsale as a food destination and town shopping area and that is solely because of the decision taken. The town council no longer exists. Deputy Stanley raised the possibility of the re-establishment of town councils. It is not for us to deal with that. It is an issue for politicians.