Massive Capital Investment Plan for Cork

€200bn allocated to National Development Plan for next decade

More homes and schools, better healthcare facilities, new roads, connected infrastructure and investment in disability services are all part of the National Development Plan for Cork, said Cork North Wests Fine Gael TD John Paul O’Shea.

Deputy O’Shea said: “A €200bn National Development Plan (NDP) was unveiled this week by the Government to help transform Cork and to ensure a better quality of life for all.

“This plan will upgrade water and energy infrastructure, deliver more roads and better public transport across the region here. These are the building blocks we need to deliver thousands of new homes and ensure better communities through more schools and better access to healthcare.

“Details on what projects in Cork will be initially targeted will be published later this year.

In the meantime, I’ll be working throughout the summer months with my party leader and Tánaiste Simon Harris and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to ensure that our priorities for Cork are at the top of the agenda ahead of October’s Budget.

These include:

• N/M20 Cork-Limerick Motorway

• More investment to upgrade our local & regional road network

• Affordable & Cost Rental Housing throughout Cork Nort West

• Investment in Waste Water Treatment Plants in our towns and villages

• Completion of rollout of fibre broadband to all homes in Cork North West

• New and refurbished Healthcare facilities

• School building projects across Cork North West

• Expansion of Further & Higher Education Sector

“Since my election to the Dáil, I have been prioritising these projects in the first year of this Government. I am fully committed to working for all here in Cork to achieve them.

“We are in a position to ensure that we have one of the largest and most important capital injections into our economy in Cork due to the careful management of the country’s finances by successive Fine Gael Ministers. My party campaigned on greater infrastructure delivery and to remove obstacles to providing more homes and services.

“The opposition told us not to plan for Budget surpluses, rainy day funds or put money aside for future investment. What position would we be in if Sinn Féin managed our country’s finances? They would have wasted all the effort and work of Irish taxpayers and future capital investment in Cork would not have been possible.

“Now, we are putting forward a plan to invest €200bn over the next decade to safeguard our economy, drive growth and opportunity, protect jobs, increase competitiveness and ensure prosperity for our people and communities. This is crucial at a time of growing international uncertainty and serious threat of tariffs which pose significant risk to our economy,” Deputy O’Shea said.

Overall almost €100bn is being allocated for the next five years – an additional €30bn on what was previously allocated in the NDP. A further €100bn for the period 2020 to 2035 is also contained in the NDP. In the coming months, projects and investment programmes to be prioritised will be outlined with the additional funding allocation received following the review of the NDP.