Cork economy faces 'monumental failure' from stalled spending

The economic development of the southern region - taking in Cork, Limerick and Waterford - is in danger of being suffocated by a lack of investment in vital infrastructure projects, the country's main building representative group has warned.

The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) has claimed "big promises" laid out, early last year, by the Government in its €116bn Project Ireland 2040 vision are not being initiated, with several essential road projects being delayed in the past 18 months and the bulk of investment going on Dublin-based projects.

The slowdown in investment is, according to the CIF, causing the southern region to fall behind growth projections and will hamper its development over the next five years. It mentioned the Dunkettle Interchange, the Cork Events Centre project, and improvements on the M28 motorway as examples of delayed projects.

The CIF called it "a monumental failure" that the region with the most economic promise outside of Dublin is "continuously neglected". It said that while private sector investment in Cork has been strong, public sector investment in critical infrastructure "is not keeping up".

Southern Ireland is the key to reaching the tagets set out in Project Ireland 2040. Cork, Limerick and Galway must grow at double the rate of Dublin to ensure that 75% of the expected population growth of one million living and working outside the capital by 2040.

"Simply put, the Government is not doing enough to ensure that there are houses, schools and roads to support this population growth. To develop the south and other regional areas, the Government needs to invest in infrastructure," said CIF regional director Conor O'Connell.

In a survey of its members, CIF said 75% of respondents were not confident that essential projects mentioned in Project 2040 will materialise in their regions.

"We have a chance to make Cork a thriving hub of an economic corridor including Limerick, Galway and Sligo to counter-balance Dublin. However, a huge proportion of investment is either delayed or stalled. Project delays like the Dunkettle Interchange consign people in the region to further years of commuting, poor road safety and reduce investment in jobs in their areas," Mr O'Connell said.

The CIF's recent crane count showed that Cork had 12 cranes compared to Dublin's 123, which it said demonstrates the divide between activity across the regions.

"The disparity between construction in Dublin and Ireland's regional counties is apparent, with 48% of Irish construction workers often travelling for jobs in Dublin, despite 76% being located outside our capital," said Mr O'Connell.