Irish Examiner View: Agencies’ culture should change to avert conflict and improve messaging

Public’s relationship with various state agencies is increasingly strained

Tue, 20 Apr, 2021 - 10:06

The optimism stirred by rejuvenation is a powerful force, especially if expressed succinctly. Barack Obama’s “Yes, we can” remains one of this century’s most effective calls to arms. It helped build momentum that made him a two-term US president and was, for a while at least, inspirational far beyond America’s shores.

A ruling yesterday by An Bord Pleanála provided grounds for another, more localised, kind of optimism. The decision to approve 266 homes on an iconic , State-owned site overlooking the western edge of Cork City is a very significant one. The Land Development Agency will build 46 houses and 220 apartments on the enviable, 14-acre, St Kevin’s hospital site overlooking the Lee. A moment when our shameful housing crisis continues because of a bewildering political commitment to failed principles, and at a moment when the shape and role of cities is questioned as never before, this seems an exemplary commitment with the potential to do much more than just provide badly-needed housing.