‘Site acquisition is not the problem’ says chairman of Ballydesmond Development
THE chairman of Ballydesmond Development Association, Sean Kelleher, has rejected claims that the difficulty of acquiring a suitable site for a reservoir is delaying efforts to improve the public water supply in Ballydesmond and Kiskeam.
He said he knows of a landowner who is very keen to engage with both Irish Water and Cork County Council but “absolutely nothing is happening”.
“What I feel at this stage is that we are being given the total run around. I personally know of one landowner who spoke to a politician to state that the landowner was very interested in putting in a reservoir. That was weeks ago and there hasn’t been one word from Irish Water or Cork County Council on it,” he told The Corkman.
“I really don’t agree with the view that site acquisition is the issue. What I do think now is that this entire situation is a complete and utter farce.”
Mr Kelleher said: “This is actually delusional now. Unless the reservoir is put in place and Ballydesmond gets its much wanted water supply then the state of the village will remain as it is. But nobody seems to care about this anymore. “
“We have been waiting 26 years for a water supply. If we were told ‘Look, we need to go down the Compulsory Purchase Order route’ we would then know that would add on three more years. But, at least we would know and have a time-frame. This really is a complete farce at this stage. We are being told nothing,” he said.
As previously reported in The Corkman, Ballydesmond is regarded in the County Development Plan as being a “key village” but yet it doesn’t have a “proper road, footpath, sewerage system or water”.
Mr Kelleher, in a previous interview in June with The Corkman, voiced his frustration, as did fellow members of the Ballydesmond Development Association at the state of their village.
Shane Buckley, a member of the Development Association previously said: “We are going around in circles and pushed from pillar to post. We are not getting answers from any Government body on all of our issues. This is all seriously hampering the village from progressing and this is not what we want nor is it what the residents want.”
Mr Kelleher this week said: “All that is coming back when queries are being put is simply spin doctor replies.”
The Corkman put in a detailed query to Irish Water on the current state of play with regards to site acquisition for a reservoir in Ballydesmond.
The Corkman received a reply from its spokesperson to state Irish Water remains committed to upgrading the water supply for Ballydesmond and will shortly begin work on a project to lay 9km of new watermain from Ballintona to Ballydesmond.
“The project will also involve the construction of a new reservoir. The process to acquire a suitable site for this reservoir is ongoing and discussions have taken place with a number of landowners in the area,” said the spokesperson.
“While the content of these discussions is private, Irish Water will continue to explore all options with a view to progressing this important project as quickly as possible.
“The provision of a safe, secure and reliable water supply for Ballydesmond remains a priority for Irish Water.”