Critical housing developments effectively frozen in Kerry town due to water issues

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

Private housing development in Kenmare looks to be completely frozen as the town faces a dire water shortage.

Developers in the town are being given deal-breaking conditions by Kerry County Council – to source their own water or risk having their planning applications refused.

Nearly 160 housing units currently in the planning stage will likely be turned down by the council on the basis that there is no additional water supply and no new supply has been identified.

Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae said he was “very disappointed” with Uisce Éireann who are responsible for managing the local water infrastructure and said asking developers to drill their own bore holes was not realistic. This would effectively mean developers would have to become a water company and take responsibility for water quality.

He highlighted the difficulties young families face getting accommodation in Kenmare and said many are settling elsewhere because there are no houses to buy.

Any house that does go up for sale, he said, is bought by someone from outside Kenmare with greater means to pay for the inflated property prices – some up to €600,000 he claimed.

Since 2007, only four private houses have been built in Kenmare, while social housing forms the vast bulk of new development.

Cllr Healy-Rae expressed his frustration at the fact that zoned land, green lit by local councillors for development, was now effectively off the table.

The council has already been rejecting developments on the advice of Uisce Éireann, who told them in one case that “due to existing constraints on water supply in the area, a new public water source, along with water infrastructure is required to service the development.”

Uisce Éireann is currently in the early stages of devising plans for a new water source, with groundwater exploration surveys expected to start at the end of this year.

Cllr Healy-Rae said there was less water supplied to Kenmare than in 2008. Villages such as Bonane and Templenoe have been added to the town’s supply.

During a period of dry weather this year, Kenmare was one of 22 locations declared nationally to be in drought status.

Council hopes to extract water from the River Sheen were dashed in 2014 after residents in nearby Bonane led a successful court appeal against the move due to environmental concerns.

Water quality issues have also dogged the town. Decades long problems finally came to an end in 2017 when a €4.5m water treatment plant was constructed for its supply from a lake near Molls Gap.