Concerns have been raised over the future of a planned housing development for Falcarragh.
The Approved Housing Body, Respond was due to deliver 28 units.
However, issues have been encountered with regards to the development connecting to Falcarragh’s water treatment plant.
Despite the developer including plans to incorporate sewage treatment on site, Uisce Eireann has halted progress.
Councillor Denis McGee says the entire project is now in jeopardy as a result:
Uisce Eireann say the Falcarragh Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently overloaded.
The utility says it is advancing a project to upgrade the Wastewater Treatment Plant to provide further capacity. However, construction is not expected to commence until 2028.
Full Statement:
Uisce Éireann is committed to playing its part in the national drive to provide homes to people who need them by developing and prioritising the delivery of key water service infrastructure and connections.
The building, repair and upgrading of this critical water infrastructure requires a multi-billion-euro investment programme over many decades. Uisce Éireann has been delivering consistent increases in capital investment year-on-year since its establishment.
Falcarragh Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently overloaded. Uisce Éireann is advancing a project to upgrade Falcarragh Wastewater Treatment Plant and provide further capacity for growth. We expect to commence construction in 2028; however, this is subject to statutory and budgetary approvals.
It is best to contact Uisce Éireann to confirm the feasibility of a connection before finalising the design of a proposed development. In 2024, we issued positive responses to 3,041 Pre-Connection Enquiries associated with 114,981 housing units and issued 5,508 Connection Offers associated with 52,133 housing units. Where there is insufficient capacity on our existing assets to facilitate a proposed development, a refusal is issued to prevent potential environmental risks materialising.
The majority of these refusals relate to proposed developments in areas where there is no Uisce Éireann network or where there is a network but insufficient treatment capacity available. We continue to actively engage with the customer in these instances to help them develop a solution where possible, while ensuring any solution complies with Uisce Éireann policies and statutory requirements.
