Memo to approve Broadford and Cooraclare sewerage schemes must be fast-tracked
- Both communities still waiting on news
- Memo imminent but must be expedited
Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe is calling on the government to expedite a memo through Cabinet, which will see sewerage schemes approved and funded for the villages of Broadford and Cooraclare.
It has been a lengthy wait for both communities, who continue to seek news on their long-awaited schemes.
“I am calling on colleagues in government to fast-track a memo through cabinet to have sewerage schemes for Broadford and Cooraclare approved and funded,” said Deputy Crowe.
“People in both communities have campaigned for more than 40 years to have this essential infrastructure built and in this day and age, it is absurd that raw sewerage is still being discharged into local water courses.
“Minister Darragh O’Brien has been very supportive of the concept of bringing sewerage schemes to both Broadford and Cooraclare and I have been meeting him on an ongoing basis to press the case for both villages.
“In August 2021, Minister O’Brien visited the county to discuss the merits of schemes for both villages with Clare County Council management and he also paid a visit to Broadford.
“Since then, hopes and expectations have been rising that schemes would be announced – but a lot of indicative dates have come and passed.
“I remain fully confident that Minister O’Brien will fulfil his promise to deliver one-off rural sewerage schemes throughout the country and I remain highly hopeful that Broadford and Cooraclare will be beneficiaries of the same.
“My understanding is that a memo from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will go before Cabinet and that agreement there will be required before the schemes can be finally approved.
“I met with Minister O’Brien again this week and have urged him to expedite this process.
“There have been far too many false dawns for both villages over the years and I don’t plan on being a politician that lets them down.
“When Fianna Fáil entered government in 2020, I dig my heels in and said that the provision of rural sewerage schemes should be amongst our red-line issues entering government.
“My demand has been positively supported by Minister O’Brien throughout his tenure as a cabinet minister and I am confident that he will deliver for Clare.
“It is essential that we also plan for this scheme to operate on a multi-annual basis – there are several more communities in Clare including Carrigaholt, Doolin and O’Brien’s Bridge that desperately require these schemes.
“A multi-annual fully funded scheme is the only way of ensuring the archaic practice of having sewerage effluent leaking into local rivers is ended.
“If Ireland doesn’t fully grasp that problem, we will face sanctions from the European Commission.”
-ENDS-
