Mixture of ‘commercial and residential' properties planned for old Tesco site in Wexford town
'What's the long-term plan there?' he asked. 'It's been discussed regularly at our district meetings and, as far as I'm aware, we have a ten-year lease on that site and are currently three years into it.'
Senior planner Diarmuid Heuston said the future of the site was 'open to discussion' and that some potential plans for the area would be revealed upon the publication of the Wexford Town Centre First Strategy as part of the Wexford Town Local Area Plan.
Chief executive Eddie Taaffe offered some further information, saying that the site 'will be zoned for a mixture of residential and commercial properties'.
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Irish Times
36 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Ending of electricity credits will bite hard this winter
It is the August bank holiday weekend – the height of meteorological summer, and of political summer. The Dáil is not sitting, Cabinet is not meeting, and aside from committees reporting on Government legislation on the triple lock and Occupied Territories Bill last week, the agenda was deathly quiet. In the midst of that August haze, it can be hard to believe that the weather will ever turn again. Inevitably, however, it will – this is as true of politics as it is of climate. And there are signs that as the days shorten and the weather turns, the old truism will be borne out – winter will be much trickier for the Government. Earlier this week, figures released to Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan showed that 301,000 households are now in arrears on their electricity bills. One of the significant things about this is that the arrears figures appear to be creeping up even when the weather is mild – and doing so as the last of the previous government's electricity credits wash out of the system. It seems likely that the credits suppressed a rate of electricity arrears that would otherwise have emerged given the still-elevated cost of power. The electricity credits were a blunt, expensive – and politically expedient – tool to address a genuine crisis. In September 2022, as the country faced its first post-Ukraine invasion winter (and budget), a senior government figure texted me to say that modelling suggested energy bills over the winter would be more like mortgage payments. Cabinet had been warned earlier that week that household bills could hit €6,000 annually. That was both economically and politically unsustainable, and the Coalition applied €600 worth of electricity credits to household bills between November that year and March 2023, costing a little over €1.2 billion. From April 2022 until February this year, households got nine payments worth a total of €1,500 – costing almost €3 billion. It was a stark summation of two things: the scale of the crisis and the political willingness to cure – or at least ameliorate – it with exchequer spending. READ MORE Both those things have changed in important but different ways. Firstly, the cost of electricity has come down in line with reductions in wholesale gas prices – the main input into Irish electricity prices. However, it has not returned to pre-crisis levels, and energy boffins who understand these things expect that utility bills this winter will be about the same as last winter (or maybe even a little higher). The second important change is that while the situation has improved, the Coalition has resolved to turn off the tap completely on electricity credits. From a policy point of view, given the economic backdrop and the constant refrain over State spending, there is a strong case to be made for this – and it is one that has been made early and often by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers . Both have been backed up by their respective party leaders. But the politics of this has a hard edge: the simple fact is that voters up and down the country are likely to be exposed to a more expensive winter in real terms than they have been for many years. As universal once-off payments are rolled up, they will get a delayed – but real – shock. This also comes against the backdrop of ever-higher grocery costs. More expensive turkey and electricity bills (or colder homes) beckon for the festive period. That does not sound like a recipe for a happy electorate. It is often said that inflation kills governments, but the last coalition was returned to power at least in part because it insulated households to an extraordinary degree as the election beckoned – not just the electricity credits, but recall two double payments of child benefit, either side of polling day. Against this backdrop, there is a compelling logic to intervene to protect lower-income households – and this is something I would expect the Government to do in the budget. Ditto extending the lower VAT rate on electricity bills. Meanwhile, Minister for Energy Darragh O'Brien has convened an energy affordability task force, which is to sketch out support measures for Budget 2026 some time soon. The Government's actions suggest it knows it has an issue – but all the steps the Coalition is minded to take – targeted measures, structural reforms, investment in the grid – are either partial or much more long-term in nature. They lack the raw retail politics of the once-off payments. Meanwhile, the Opposition's actions are equally as instructive. Before the Dáil rose for summer, the cost of living seemed to be the issue they most routinely raised in the Dáil. During his meeting with UK prime minister Keir Starmer this week, US president Donald Trump riffed on how politics is pretty simple, at the end of the day. The politician who wins out, he opined, is generally the one that cuts taxes the most, who keeps you out of wars – and 'the one who gives you the lowest energy prices'. Say what you like about him, he is an operator with extraordinary instincts for the prevailing politics of the day. It is possible that higher energy costs – and the price of the low-carbon transition – will become baked into economies in the time ahead. That suggests that energy politics may become a feature of the system here and elsewhere, not a passing storm.
Irish Independent
20 hours ago
- Irish Independent
€100,000 set to upgrade Wicklow park and support older people
In August 2024, Wicklow was allocated €694,300 for seven community projects as part of the first phase of funding under the fund, which aims to support the development of facilities and infrastructure for communities in recognition of their efforts in welcoming many new arrivals to their cities, towns and villages in recent years. In June 2025, a total of nine community projects, amounting to €905,535. This past Wednesday, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht announced the approval of two additional Wicklow projects under phase 3 of the fund, bringing the total funding for phase 3 to €1,005,535. County Wicklow Partnership CLG has received €50,000 for its Wicklow Older Persons Support Programme in Arklow town and rural south Wicklow, while the Rathdrum Development Association has been allocated €50,000 to complete phase 2 of an upgrade to the Parnell National Memorial Park in Rathdrum. Although delighted with the €43,700 allocated to the Rathdrum Development Association on June 5 to upgrade the paths around the Parnell Memorial Park and install solar lighting, local councillor Pat Kennedy said that, although funding was very much welcomed, 'it was never going to be enough to cover the full cost of the project'. 'We have secured an additional €50,000, bringing the total to €93,700 for the project and allowing us to fully upgrade all of the paths and install all of the lighting,' he said. 'I want to thank the people from the Rathdrum Development Association and Wicklow County Council (WCC) who worked closely with me to secure both rounds of funding.' Welcoming the announcement, WCC cathaoirleach, councillor Melanie Corrigan, stated: 'This funding will make a significant difference to the local communities in providing improved facilities and additional services to the communities in Rathdrum and Arklow town and rural south Wicklow'. WCC deputy chief executive Michael Nicholson added: 'This investment acknowledges and recognises the efforts made by our towns and villages in welcoming new arrivals to their communities in recent years. This funding will assist our communities in continuing their excellent work for the benefit of all.'
Agriland
2 days ago
- Agriland
Government Needs to Invest in Irish Wool Industry Td
The government has been urged to invest in the Irish wool industry, particularly scouring and processing. Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture, Martin Kenny has said that sheep farmers are busy at present shearing, which needs to be done for the welfare of the sheep. Despite wool being a natural product that has many uses such as clothing, insulation and fertiliser, the price farmers are currently receiving is at "rock bottom", he said. "It costs more for the farmer to shear the ewe than they get for the fleece. There are many farmers with sheds full of wool for three and four years that they are unable to get sold," the deputy said. "I am told that some are having to pay to get rid of it." He said the development of a wool industry in Ireland needs to be state-led, "as we cannot wait for private industry to establish it". "The government needs to invest in the establishment of a large-scale wool scouring and processing plant," the deputy said. 'There is an industry for wool products in the country and there is a market for Irish wool products. "However, there are many wool garments sold in Ireland that are made from imported wool such as Merino wool.'Some Irish wool may not be suitable for clothing, but it still has a use in textiles such as carpets and rugs and for insulation." There is an opportunity for an Irish wool industry that would provide another source of income to farmers and create more jobs in wool processing, the deputy added, and government "needs to step up to the plate here and invest". The programme for government committed to examining the feasibility of a wool scouring plant in Ireland. According to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, two research projects are currently underway to assess sustainable approaches to wool scouring in Ireland. "In 2024, my department announced funding of €574,683 for the Spring Wool research project," the minister said in response to a recent parliamentary question. "Among other things, this project is examining the feasibility of a mobile wool scouring unit that is compliant with wastewater regulations. "The treatment of wastewater from the scouring process is a major obstacle to the growth of the wool sector. The work is being coordinated by the Munster Technological University." The second research project, Regenerative Value Systems for Irish Grown Wool in Ireland, is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. "This project is examining the economics of wool production within a circular bioeconomy," the minister explained. "Key objectives are to investigate various business models for scalable scouring and to assess the potential for local scouring across the island of Ireland." He said his department will examine the outcome of both research projects, "which will help inform government of the feasibility of establishing a scouring plant in Ireland".
