New much-needed housing developments in Kerry town at risk over lack of water supply

New estates proposed for Kenmare will have to source their own water as Uisce Éireann cannot provide 'a public water source', councillors told

The close to 160 houses now in the planning process will have to be refused, because the town has no additional water supply and none has been identified, the meeting of the Kenmare Municipal District was told.

Major housing developments in Kenmare — the first in almost 20 years for the private market — are being asked to source their own water if they are to proceed, a council meeting in Killorglin has been told.

The close to 160 houses now in the planning process will otherwise have to be refused, because the town has no additional water supply and none has been identified, the meeting of the Kenmare Municipal District was told.

Attempts to extract water from the River Sheen 15 years ago failed on foot of a court challenge, and Kenmare is dependent on three lakes. 

At the same time, outlying villages such as Bonane and Templenoe have been added to the supply for Kenmare.

In a motion by local councillor Johnny Healy-Rae, the council was called upon not to refuse planning for a number of developments currently in the planning process. The onus should be on the water body, he said.

Only four private houses had been built in Kenmare since 2007, despite up to €40m spent on water treatment and wastewater infrastructure.

Numbers in the national school are also dropping because young families are settling elsewhere because there is no housing to buy in Kenmare at a reasonable cost.

“People can’t get a place to rent, or to buy,” Mr Healy-Rae said.

One of the developments — a 93-unit housing estate — has been in train since 2015 and it is feared the developers will move their investments to other towns where there is water.

Only a social housing development had been constructed in Kenmare in almost 20 years, and houses in rural areas are commanding up to €600,000 — beyond the reach of young people, it was claimed.

Council management said it was “required to liaise with Uisce Éireann as the prescribed statutory body in respect of potable water supply for all new developments within Kenmare".

It said it was currently engaged with the water utility in respect of a number of live applications and potential future developments in Kenmare.

In the case of one housing development, Uisce Éireann has told the council “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”, the council said.

Uisce Éireann is at early stages of considering options for a new drinking water source, with groundwater exploration activities scheduled to commence in Kenmare during the third-quarter of 2025.

“Therefore, all multi-unit applications for development will need to consider alternative arrangements for water supply to service the development until such time as the new public supply is available," the council said in their reply.

If an alternative water supply to service any proposed multi-residential development in Kenmare cannot be arranged, the proposed development cannot proceed and the council would have no option but to refuse planning permission, it said.

This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme