Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. North Wexford is one of the fastest growing areas in the country outside of the main urban centres. Gorey town grew from about 4,500 to 11,000 in the 1996-2016 intercensus period. We have continued to see rapid growth since. Many people from Dublin know Courtown as a small seaside village but the Courtown-Riverchapel area has exploded to become the fifth largest urban centre in the county. In the education field, I was glad that, in spite of the fact that we got a 1,000-pupil school a decade ago, an additional second level school for the area was approved by the Government earlier this year. Part of that is due to the Dublin commuter effect, but it is also because of the quality of life we offer in north Wexford.

The challenge, which is no different from the rest of the country, has been around housing. Gorey was declared a rent pressure zone in 2019, which reflected much of the pressures with regard to housing. Even though the Gorey-Kilmuckridge municipal area represents almost one third of the population of County Wexford, less than a sixth of the council's housing stock is in that geographic area. Over the last decade, less than one fifth of new housing acquisition or build overseen by Wexford County Council was in the Gorey-Kilmuckridge area.

This has been a big problem but two years ago Wexford County Council acquired a 73-acre site at St. Waleran's in Gorey. It is north of Gorey town. The council trumpeted it as Gorey's future urban quarter. The problem is that in the two years since, we have not seen progress. In October last year I arranged a meeting of senior council officials with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the council committed to fast-tracking this, that we would see a master plan and there would be development by the end of the year but nothing happened. Then we were told it would be quarter 1 of this year but again nothing has happened. We still have not seen a master plan. Wexford County Council is sitting on 73 acres while there is a housing crisis.This frustration is shared cross-party by councillors in north Wexford, where people are crying out for social, and in particular affordable, housing, and we have not seen action. I ask that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage apply pressure on Wexford County Council regarding this site. If the council is unable or unwilling to provide a masterplan for the site, it may be possible for the Land Development Agency, provided there is clear input from local councillors, to provide the masterplan for the site.

There are other developments, such as the former St. Joseph's School site in Gorey town, which is also being held up by the Department. We all know that when we emerge from this pandemic, housing will continue to be one of the greatest challenges. Delivery on housing is crucial for the Government. Will the Department call Wexford County Council to account and ask why the masterplan for the development of the St. Waleran's House site has not been developed, and why the development of social and affordable housing in Gorey and north Wexford has not been prioritised by the council?