Seanad hears Galway badly needs new wastewater treatment plant

An infrastructure deficit, including insufficient wastewater treatment, will hold back Galway’s growth, the Seanad has heard.

Peter Burke, Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, warned the future development of Galway, including more housing, could be stifled by an “infrastructural gap”.

“If the infrastructure is not there, development will be held back and the city will be unable to unlock its potential, provide alternatives such as affordable homes to people and improve infrastructure in general,” he said.

Minister Burke said Irish Water was ‘key’ to filling the infrastructure gap; and pledged to raise the matter with his senior Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien, who has responsibility for Irish Water.

He was responding to Galway senator, Seán Kyne, who said the development of a new wastewater treatment plant was “badly needed” if new housing is to be provided.

“We cannot talk about housing unless sufficient wastewater treatment is in place. We need action and progress on this,” said the Fine Gael senator.

Various plans project population growth of 40,000 in Galway City bringing it to 120,000 by 2040 but ‘one major limitation’ of reaching that target is a lack of wastewater treatment facilities.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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