I welcome this discussion on rural policy. The biggest issues relate to housing and services in rural areas. Often, people in rural areas do not have anything. Sustainable housing is the key in this regard. For that type of housing, we need infrastructure. Those engaged in agriculture, forestry and other rural employment must continue to be allowed to build one-off houses on family land or in appropriate locations. There also needs to be housing for a whole lot of people and their families who live in rural areas and who are engaged in other activities. We have to come up with a practical solution to this. Given the stricter regulations on one-off housing and environmental concerns, and the fact that not everybody owns land, one part of this has to be serviced sites in villages and on the edge of villages. These should not be half a mile up the road; they should be where they can be serviced. They should be provided by the local council. Laois County Council is already working on a small number of these but I ask that the Government and the Department get behind them. Serviced sites on the edge of villages could be one quarter of an acre where people build their own houses. These would be in walking distance of the local shops, school, church and sports field, with connected water, sewerage, Internet and electricity. There are some good examples of where this is happening. This requires upgrading sewerage treatment plants and water supply networks. In Laois, villages such as Ballybrittas, Ballyroan, Ballinakill, Ballylinan, Borris-in-Ossory, Ballycolla and Timahoe could all be developed further if water and wastewater infrastructure were upgraded. Ballybrittas, Timahoe and Ballycolla do not even have a sewerage treatment plant but they are ideal locations for serviced sites. Ballybrittas is right beside the N7 motorway and the local railway station in Monasterevin is within a five-minute drive. The pumping station there has sewerage capacity for another 150 homes but Uisce Éireann is refusing to allow this to go ahead. It refuses to connect the existing houses in the village. It is trying to pass it back to the council, saying it is up to the council, but the council cannot do it because it is not its responsibility any longer. It needs a sewerage connection network to the existing houses and to allow for new developments in the village, which is in the commuter belt. One of the interesting things about Ballybrittas is that it is included in Uisce Éireann's small towns and villages programme. It is in the programme, but it will not do it. The Department needs to push this. It is located beside the N7 and is five minutes from a railway station. The Department needs to be told to get on with this. We need to have these services to provide sustainable rural housing in County Laois.

Sentiment score: 0.11