HOUSING CRISIS GRIPPING RURAL WATERFORD RAISED IN DÁIL

Government failure to act on rural housing is hollowing out communities – McGuinness

Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, Conor D. McGuinness, has said that the Government is presiding over the managed decline of rural Ireland, with the housing crisis driving young people out of coastal and rural communities across the county.

Raising the issue in the Dáil with the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy McGuinness highlighted the growing impact in places like Ardmore, Dunmore East, Bonmahon and An Rinn, where the lack of affordable housing is making it impossible for local people to stay in their own communities.

“Across County Waterford – from our coastal villages to inland towns – families are being priced out or locked out of housing altogether. In Ardmore, Dunmore East, Bonmahon and An Rinn, it’s becoming harder and harder for young people to stay and raise families where they grew up. The result is emigration from rural Waterford into already pressured urban centres, or out of the county entirely.”

“This crisis is tearing at the fabric of local life. It’s undermining schools, hollowing out GAA clubs, damaging local businesses and creating deep uncertainty for families who simply want to build a future in the places they call home.”

Deputy McGuinness condemned the Government’s newly adopted National Planning Framework as “lacking any meaningful ambition” when it comes to rural housing. He also criticised the Government’s rural development strategy for failing to even acknowledge the housing issue.

“It’s a total abdication of responsibility,” he said. “The Department of Rural and Community Development cannot sit idly by while rural towns and villages are slowly emptied. While the housing brief sits with another Minister, the consequences are playing out in every corner of rural Ireland – and Waterford is no exception.”

McGuinness called for urgent action, including investment in social and affordable housing in rural towns and villages, serviced sites for self-builds, and a planning system that supports sustainable rural living.

“These are basic, achievable measures. But this Government continues to look the other way. Without urgent intervention, the managed decline of rural Ireland will become official policy.”

“Sinn Féin is ready to deliver a rural housing strategy that actually works – one that supports families, protects communities, and gives the next generation the choice to stay and thrive in rural Waterford.”