Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)

I raise this issue following the announcement by Cork County Council this week that it is to move ahead with a public consultation on the development of a new town on the north-west side of Cork city that will accommodate up to 12,500 homes. It is a relatively long-term project but nevertheless much surprise and frustration followed this announcement in the media this week. It comes against a background of a collapsed property market, with "For Sale" signs all over Cork. We have heard of distressed mortgages and people being put out of their homes. NAMA has a land bank and is taking control of loans associated with property developments. Today I saw on the Internet reference to unfinished housing estates in County Cork which included examples which have not been started and only exist in the form of planning permission. There are no details of the extent to which housing estates are unfinished but the list is lengthy. There are 132 such estates.

What is being done about these unfinished housing estates? There has been a property collapse so why are we talking about developing a new town when we should be getting to grips with the problems we have already? The council statement has let down people who are finding it difficult in the areas in which they live. They want to know what the State is doing in the guise of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government or Cork city and county councils. People want answers to what is being done in their areas and the news that a new town is to be developed in the city is very frustrating.

I have examined figures from the recent census and compared them to the last census in 2006. The population in the centre of Cork city is dropping and the county population has increased. We must consider what can be done in the greater city area and revitalise the city centre before beginning to develop new towns. I know the Minister launched a sustainable development strategy last week.