Government funding has been "totally insufficient" in dealing with the infrastructural deficit in the Gaeltacht areas, according to a consultancy report on the future of Ring and Old Parish.
The report by CAAS (Environmental Services) says Gaeltacht areas face an uncertain future despite the economic boom. Its proposals on future housing development in the Ring and Old Parish Gaeltacht have divided opinion in the local community, but housing is just one issue addressed by the document, published as a draft area action plan.
While population levels in the Gaeltacht areas increased from 83,000 in 1991 to 86,000 five years later, they still lag behind the rest of the State in terms of economic and infrastructural development, the plan says.
It says the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands operates a number of schemes in the Gaeltacht and the Government has made additional money available for these schemes in recent years.
The report says, however, that this sum is insufficient to deal with the infrastructural deficit in the Gaeltacht, and continual endeavours are made to identify opportunities to address it. Ring Gaeltacht, it points out, does not have Objective 1 status for EU funding purposes and faces a number of threats.
These include rising land and house prices which could drive people from an area which has a population of just 1,500, about two-thirds of whom live in Ring and the rest in the neighbouring Old Parish. A decline in the number of Irish-speakers and an increase in non-Irish-speakers could lead to a loss of its Gaeltacht designation, the action plan warns.
On the other hand the Ring Gaeltacht has one of the most popular and respected Irish colleges in Colaiste na Rinne, a good socio-economic mix and a community determination to preserve the Irish language.
The plan sets out community objectives, suggested by locals at an open day last year, including the protection of the area's rural character and archaeological heritage; increased measures to prevent littering, polluting and dumping; and the exercising of "strict control" over residential developments.
Road capacity, visual amenity, the provision of housing for local people and the maintenance of an Irish-speaking population should be regarded.
It proposes the funnelling of developments into four areas and the restriction of density to three houses per acre. Some locals argue that even this level will destroy the rural fabric of the area. They say Ring does not have the water, road and sewerage services to support it.
There are concerns about the pressure and quality of water supply, while the road network is "generally poor" and not capable of catering for large-scale development.
The Department of the Environment and Local Government has, however, approved a major investment scheme in sewage treatment for the Dungarvan area which will cover the areas of Ring earmarked for development.
