Dead in the water: Plan for 126 homes in Cork town halted by over-capacity wastewater plant 

Dunmanway has housebuilding plans ready to roll, as stipulated in the county development plan. But, as the local wastewater treatment plant is at capacity, none of them can be built

Dunmanway, Co Cork, provides a striking example of how Ireland's overstretched infrastructure is jeopardising house building. File picture: Denis Scannell

It’s a key town in the strategic heart of West Cork — just a 20-minute drive from Skibbereen, Clonakilty, Macroom, Bandon, and Bantry — but lack of capacity in its wastewater treatment plant is like a noose around its neck, preventing the delivery of new homes, hampering business expansion, and strangling its potential.

That’s the claim of a new action group which has been set up in Dunmanway to secure upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant and help the town reach its full potential.