Cork County Council to press Uisce Éireann on hold-up of Cobh and Whitechurch housing

Councillors Sheila O’Callaghan (Fianna Fáil) and Cathal Rasmussen (Labour) questioned the utility's inability to supply water to hundreds of planned homes in Whitechurch and Cobh respectively 

Hundreds of planned houses in two developments — in Whitechurch, 11km from Cork City, and in Cobh — are on hold until 2030. Stock picture: Gareth Fuller/PA

Uisce Éireann is to be asked by senior management at Cork County Council why it is “turning off the tap” on two proposed major housing developments for approval until at least 2030.

One is 11km on the northern side of Cork City, and the other is in Cobh, with both projects involving several hundred houses that councillors say are vital for the areas.

Fianna Fáil councillor Sheila O’Callaghan accused the utility of “tinkering over” water issues at the reservoir serving Whitechurch, north of the city.

She said that, since July 2025, the company has been “tankering in” supplies to Whitechurch through a housing estate and locals are not happy with the safety aspects of this.

Ms O’Callaghan said it is her understanding that the water source for the Whitechurch supply comes to the reservoir from a well situated on privately-owned land, a situation that further complicates the issue.

“This puts the village in a very vulnerable situation,” she told senior council officials attending a meeting in County Hall.

Ms O’Callaghan pointed out that the summer of 2025 was hot, but this past summer was the hottest and longest on record, and the utility is still tankering water to local households.

Ms O’Callaghan said a private developer recently put a “pre-application proposal” to Uisce Éireann to build 280 housing units in that village but was told by the water utility the project would not be feasible to start until at least 2030.

Ger Curley, an Independent Ireland councillor, also criticised Uisce Éireann.

“We were promised this [supply issue] would have been sorted out last summer and it wasn’t,” he said.

“This is definitely going to hinder house building going forward and it’s houses that are badly needed.”

Labour councillor Cathal Rasmussen said a similar large-scale housing project had been put on hold in his hometown of Cobh, again until at least 2030.

He asked if 2030 was “some kind of magic date”, adding that the utility had previously given similar guarantees to fix the Cobh supply problem, similar to Whitechurch.

“Uisce Éireann is the problem yet again, and its infrastructure issues are just not being resolved,” Mr Rasmussen said.

County council chief executive Moira Murrell said she and her officials are aware of the issues in Whitechurch and Cobh adding, it “will certainly keep this on the agenda” with Uisce Éireann.