Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

For well over ten years, the wastewater treatment plan in Cluain na Croise in Crossbarry has been malfunctioning and it is causing huge difficulty for locals. As far back as 2016, the plant was one of only half a dozen that the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications was advancing through a pilot scheme to resolve defective developer-led infrastructure. Unfortunately, Crossbarry was the only village in the original pilot scheme that did not advance to construction. A new resolution programme was developed, based around the pilot, to resolve issues with defective developer led infrastructure such as in Crossbarry. Cork County Council put forward the Cluain na Croise plant to be dealt with. It was part of the Department's new scheme.

Unfortunately, there has been back-and-forth and questions and answers over the past number of years. It is very frustrating for locals not seeing the Crossbarry wastewater treatment plant being repaired. Many smaller plants have been advanced through the Department's programme which have overtaken Crossbarry, and more luck to them because they were needed. So too is the plant in Cluain na Croise in Crossbarry. It has been very difficult for residents who have put up with blocked sewers, foul smells and overflows that the council has to repeatedly clean up. It is very unfair on locals. This needs to be resolved.

Householders are concerned. They want to see a pathway to resolving this issue so they can move on with their lives and know that the defective treatment plant at the end of the village will be fixed. Resolving the plant in Cluain na Croise and linking it to the other defective plants in the village would have many benefits. There is the obvious environmental benefit in repairing the plant and improving water quality, but there is also a demand for housing locally. Crossbarry is a desirable place to live. It has easy access to Cork and Bandon and nearby work in Brinny. It has good schools and a strong community spirit. It is an attractive place to live.

There are zoned lands in the village, but in the absence of the treatment plant they are not accessible. It is not just a nuisance on its own. There is a huge struggle for locals getting houses. They have contacted me about getting planning permission for one-off houses or even sewer connections in the absence of the plant. Repairing the defective plant and linking it to the other malfunctioning plants around the village make sense in terms of unlocking the opportunity, removing the major nuisance and improving water quality.

Similar plants have been advanced, which plug into the Uisce Éireann network and remove the temporary plants. Crossbarry is a much larger scheme and could be a destination for all of the other plants in the village, linking the likes of Lissagroom Meadows and other homes and businesses. It could unlock zoned ground. Some of the infrastructure is already in the ground.

Over the years, I have been in constant contact's with Cork County Council as it is trying to deal with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and, to a lesser extent, Uisce Éireann in order to advance Crossbarry. Time and again, the council is asked same questions. It has been very forthcoming with answers. There have been no questions for some months and the Department's expert group should have all the data needed to make a positive decision.

The Minister of State will recall that when the Department put in place a programme in 2018 and 2019, it was based on the lessons learned from the pilot scheme. Despite that, Crossbarry still does not appear to have advanced. How could that be? Why is Crossbarry being left for so long? What can be done to get the malfunctioning plant sorted, get rid of the nuisance and give locals in Crossbarry a chance to get on with their lives?

See this speech in context