26 September 2025
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage James Browne TD has urged members of the public to attend an upcoming information event to be held by the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) in Bunclody. The meeting will discuss the creation of a Slaney Catchment Community Forum to enhance local community engagement on the management of water quality in the area.
The Slaney Catchment Community Forum Information Evening will take place at 7pm on Tuesday 30th September 2025, Bunclody Golf and Fishing Club, Carrigduff, Bunclody.
Speaking about the initiative, Minister Browne said: “I really encourage members of the public to attend this information evening. The event will help to shape and lay the groundwork for a formal Slaney Catchment Community Forum to be managed by LAWPRO. The voices and opinions of a broad and engaged group will be important in creating a local forum that is truly representative and engaged on this issue”.
Minister James Browne
The upcoming information evening will create awareness about the establishment of a forum in the area around the Slaney catchment. The event will discuss what the forum might look like, avenues for participation, and encourageinterested individuals or members of local community groups to put forward nominations and get involved. It is one of four such meetings to take place nationwide in the next fortnight and will lead to the creation of five community fora. The future pilots will run from November 2025 to January 2027, will be located in the Slaney (South East), Boyne (Midlands & East), Mal Bay (South West), Galway Bay SE (West), and Newry-Fane Glyde-Dee (Border) catchments.
Under the national Water Action Plan for Ireland LAWPRO was tasked with designing a national model for Catchment Community Fora to improve water quality through community engagement.
Anthony Coleman, Director of Services with LAWPRO saidthe Fora will give communities a role and a voice: “Healthy rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are vital for every community in Ireland. These pilots are about turning community insights into real action. The fora will give local people a stronger voice in shaping how we protect and restore our water environment. By working together, we can build a model that empowers communities and delivers lasting improvements in water quality,” he said.
In 2024 an initial scoping exercise was carried out with five in-person regional workshops and an online survey of participants in the five pilot catchments. The feedback from people who attended these workshops is being used to inform how the new pilot fora will operate. Upon completion of the scoping exercise a report was prepared which can be read here.
The pilots will be evaluated throughout the process to inform a proposal on the rollout of a national Catchment Community Fora model and framework.
LAWPRO is a national shared service working on behalf of 31 local authorities in Ireland coordinating efforts to achieve good water quality across the country.