Dublin Fingal East TD Duncan Smith has said that upgrades to local infrastructure leave a lot to be desired.
The Labour TD was speaking in the Dáil prior to the Dáil’s summer recess and said that while Swords has received a decent amount of spending for infrastructure projects in the town, the co-ordination between the various government bodies has caused frustration for local residents.
Smith stated that Swords is the third largest town by population in Ireland, yet “it is still treated culturally like a small village with a few airport workers in it.”
While Smith welcomed the large number of homes being built in the area, he said that housing is nothing without the infrastructure to back it.
“Unfortunately, the infrastructure is not coming with the housing. We are currently gridlocked with traffic due to multiple upgrades and works being carried out.”
The Labour TD noted, “I know you cannot make an omelette without cracking a few eggs, but there is a disconnect in the planning of these projects that is causing havoc in Swords.”
“We have a massive issue with our bus network, from bus stops to bus services, and again, we do not have a rail link yet. MetroLink has begun and I believe it is coming, which I am happy about, but it is still ten years away and we have a town of 55,000 people which is getting larger.”
Smith said that Swords is larger than Sligo town and Waterford city, yet it has a fraction of the resources afforded to those areas.
“We need bus services, special education classes and some entity to co-ordinate this. It is beyond the county council’s capacity, then the Department of Housing and Infrastructure needs to do this.”
The Labour TD pointed to wastewater treatment being an area in need of improvement in Swords.
“We have a very small wastewater treatment plant that has been there for 40 or 50 years and which serviced a much smaller town. It is currently being retrofitted and upgraded, but those works are being delayed.”
Smith said, “I cannot get across to the Minister of State the smell in the town of Swords right now, particularly in the northern part of the town, because of the upgrading works on the wastewater treatment plant. This is something that has been recurring for years upon years.”
“We need a wastewater treatment plant that is befitting a town of the size of Swords. We need the Greater Dublin drainage project to come in for the wider Dublin area, but the people of Swords are suffering,” Smith said.
Smith laid out the laundry list of problems facing Swords, and questioned what plans, if any, do the government have to address them.
“We do not have our primary care centre yet, and we do not have our bus service. Our MetroLink is ten years away and we have traffic gridlock. We do not have enough schools, and we have a wastewater treatment plant that is absolutely buckling under the pressure.”
“We welcome the houses. There were no mass protests about housing development in Swords. The majority of people who live there moved there, like myself, in the past 20 years and love living there. We know we need houses and we need sustainable communities, but we cannot deliver this unless we deliver the infrastructure with it.”
Smith requested that a taskforce or infrastructure manager be set up or hired by the Department of Housing to help rectify issues in the Swords area.
“I do not believe there is a town as big as Swords anywhere else in the country that is undergoing a similar level of growth at this time.”
He acknowledged that “an awful lot is being built,” but said joint-up thinking was not being displayed in this situation.
Minister of State Marian Harkin stated, “the government fully recognises that the successful delivery of new housing must be supported by timely and co-ordinated investment in the infrastructure required to sustain vibrant and thriving communities.”
The independent TD said, “Swords is a strong example of this approach in practice. As the population continues to grow, substantial investment is being made across a range of critical infrastructure areas to support both existing residents and future development,” pointing to the R132 project (the source of so much traffic chaos in Swords, local Sinn Féin TD Ann Graves has noted).
Minister Harkin said that the wastewater project on Balheary Road will help provide capacity for 3,000 extra homes in the Swords area, along with backing up existing water services in the Swords area.
She also pointed to Fingal County Council’s work on issues such as active travel schemes, public realm improvements and the Swords cultural quarter project as examples of how local government was better suited to tackling pressing issues facing Swords as opposed to a taskforce from the Department of Housing.
“The government remains committed to working with Fingal County Council and all relevant agencies to ensure the infrastructure required to support housing growth in Swords is delivered in a co-ordinated, strategic and timely manner,” she said.
In response, Smith said, “there is an awful lot happening and being built, but it is the co-ordination of these works that is the problem.”
The Labour TD discussed the Swords cultural quarter as an example of the government’s hands-off approach causing local problems.
“We have the Swords cultural quarter which is closed at the Seatown Road. That is one project. The Seatown Road is connected to the R132, which is an old dual carriageway that is down to one lane for the foreseeable future. That is two projects. That is connected to the Balheary Road, where we have the new water main going in to allow for 3,000 new houses. That is a third project,” he explained.
“That is three separate roads that are all in one network and are all closed or heavily restricted because of these works happening at the same time. This is impacting thousands of existing residents, and will do so for a significant period.”
“The works are happening and the homes are being built. Some infrastructure is going in to allow for more building, but there is a huge impact on the quality of life. There will be inconveniences, there is no doubt about it, but this is having a huge impact.”
Smith said that people are unable to get to work, college and school on time, and will face those restrictions for the foreseeable future.
“There are no or very few alternatives because of the way Swords has been designed over the years. On top of that, we have the wastewater treatment plant and the upgrade works which are long-delayed and taking a long time. This is causing huge discomfort to Fingallian’s GAA club, other sports clubs and people who cannot open their windows in a wide radius from that wastewater treatment plant,” he said.
Smith acknowledged that Fingal County Council and the Department of Housing are doing an “awful lot,” but the gap in co-ordination leaves a lot to be desired.
“The medium-term impact this is having on the quality of life for the people of Swords at this time. That is the point I am trying to get across,” he said.