Irish Examiner view: Cork housing figures a reminder of current crisis

A social housing project status report from the Department of Housing shows that 1,182 planned homes in Cork City were at the same point in the planning process in September 2023 that they had been at last January. In some of those cases houses were approved almost five years ago, in the second quarter of 2019. Picture: Denis Minihane

Yesterday in these pages, Paul Hosford reported on a statistic regarding public housing in this country — namely, more than 1,100 social houses in Cork City are currently stalled at various stages of the planning process.

A social housing project status report from the Department of Housing shows that 1,182 planned homes in Cork City were at the same point in the planning process in September 2023 that they had been at last January. In some of those cases houses were approved almost five years ago, in the second quarter of 2019.

It beggars belief that in the middle of a housing and accommodation crisis without equal in the history of the State — a crisis which has left over 13,000 people homeless, almost 4,000 of whom are children — housing for some of the most vulnerable in society has been left in a bureaucratic limbo for so long.

This information was the result of parliamentary questions put down by Cork North Central TD Thomas Gould and is therefore applicable to affairs on Leeside. However, it would be foolish to presume that Cork is the only part of the country suffering from a planning and development regime which has been shown to be in desperate need of repair.

The situation is little better in the private sector, where An Bord Pleanála became a byword for controversy and scandal in recent years — and is to be renamed An Coimisiún Pleanála shortly — but the lethargy of the local authority in this instance is dispiriting.

In and of itself, this is an abject failure in providing shelter for hard-pressed families, one of the basic elements of modern life, but the blitheness of the reaction from the Department of Housing compounds the problem. In its answer to Mr Gould’s question, the department listed factors which might have an impact on delivery of houses but gave little acknowledgement of the gravity of the situation.

Until we accept how serious this problem is, there is little chance of urgency in resolving it.

Ireland's interest in ending conflict

The conflict in Gaza spread beyond that land’s narrow borders this week when Saleh al-Arouri, one of the top leaders of Palestinian Hamas, was killed in a strike in Beirut.

The attack was widely blamed on Israel and may have wider implications, given it occurred in the southern Beirut stronghold of Hezbollah — the Islamic militant group in the area, which is sympathetic to Hamas.

Since Hamas attacked Israel last October, there has been low-level skirmishing along the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

But the death of Mr al-Arouri has the potential to escalate the situation: The Hezbollah leadership is on the record promising retaliation in the case of killings such as Mr al-Arouri’s.

A wider conflict is a troubling prospect in an area of such strategic importance to world trade, with worrying implications for global oil supply and logistics.

Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are already causing problems, with shipping companies — such as Maersk — suspending operations in the area. If conflict spreads outwards from Gaza to disrupt shipping and oil, are we looking at a rerun of the oil crisis of the early 1970s? It is hardly surprising to see that the US secretary of state Anthony Blinken is to visit the region in an effort to find a resolution.

Ireland has a very specific interest in the situation developing in Lebanon, as we have contributed troops to the UN peacekeeping force in that region for decades.

In that time, the Irish soldiers serving in that area have established an enviable reputation for impartiality and professionalism — one which has established their legitimacy as a peacekeeping force and burnished Ireland’s international standing as a fair dealer.

However, those Irish troops and their colleagues from other nations are likely to be at the sharp end of any escalation in hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. For that, and many other reasons, Mr Blinken must push to end a conflict that has already claimed too many innocent lives.

Concerns aired 

When Ryan Tubridy returned to the airwaves earlier this week all eyes — or ears — were on the first of his daily morning shows on Virgin Radio in London.

However, Tubridy will also broadcast a weekend show to selected local stations in Ireland, and storm clouds appear to be gathering about that prospect. Concerns have already been raised by at least one Irish radio station about the impact that an imported radio show may have on indigenous programming.

It has already had a significant impact on at least one local radio programme. From this Sunday, the Oldies and Irish programme on Cork’s 96FM — one of the most popular shows in the Cork area, with an audience reach of 60,000 people — will be broadcast for two hours instead of four to facilitate Ryan Tubridy’s new show.

Oldies and Irish host Derry O’Callaghan was gracious in his comments on the shortening of his programme; he joked about having a lie-in, but also pointed to the popularity of the show, and many of his loyal listeners are unhappy with this decision. Making such a substantial change to such a successful show is a gamble, but it also raises another question.

Is homogenous overseas product preferable to bespoke local material? The popularity of Oldies and Irish suggests only one answer.

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