‘No point in housing plans’ – Concerns grow over Tipperary water treatment plant delays
Concerns have been raised in north Tipperary over delays to a vital wastewater treatment plant, despite upgrade works beginning last month, with fears the issue will prevent new housing developments for years.
Work on the multi-million euro upgrade of the Nenagh Wastewater Treatment Plant got underway in February, which, when completed, will allow for the town of Nenagh to grow into the future.
Works on the €49million upgrade to the plant are slated for completion in 2029.
However, at the March meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District, independent councillor Seamie Morris said that he had serious concerns about delays starting the upgrade works, saying that no new housing will be able to be built in the town until it is complete.
"I’m extremely concerned about the ability of the wastewater treatment plant, which was supposed to be finished by 2024, and it’s now told it won’t be finished until 2029. I’m concerned about the ability for us to manage getting wastewater connections as housing developments finish,” Cllr Morris said.
"I’m looking at our housing plan, and we’re gone to a six-step process now for social housing, and some of these social housing projects in Nenagh started years ago.
"Maybe we could go through it, development by development, to see if we have got an agreement from Uisce Éireann to link to the wastewater treatment plant.
"There’s no point in us having a housing programme if we can’t get a viable connection to the wastewater treatment plant,” he added.
Cllr Morris said that he had spoken to Uisce Éireann who said that houses – both private and social – would be linked to the new treatment plant as capacity becomes available, but this hasn’t done much to allay his concerns.
"I’ve heard consistently about houses in Springfort Meadows that have been bought, but are not getting a viable connection with the wastewater treatment plant, so can the housing section confirm to me if we have an agreement with Uisce Éireann?
"Or are these houses going to be held up? My feeling here is that the housing process we have in front of us is already being held up,” he added.
Cllr Morris also called on Tipperary County Council to take a legal case against Uisce Éireann for delays to the plant, adding that it was having a major impact on people’s ability to secure a home in the area.
"Can I ask the executive why Tipperary County Council, or the Nenagh MD don’t take a legal case against Uisce Éireann? The reason I say that is because I have children, we all have children, we all have people who are literally homeless now because of our inability to provide housing for them.
"We’re talking now about 2029 for projects that started three to four years ago. Uisce Éireann committed to us that they’d have the plant finished by 2024, it’s now pushed out five years to 2029,” Cllr Morris said.
In response, Brian Beck from Tipperary County Council said that the issue isn’t specific to Nenagh, or even Tipperary.
"This is a countywide issue, it isn’t just a Nenagh issue, it’s not in fact just a Tipperary issue or a county council issue, it’s something that Uisce Éireann progress through their asset management plan and their investment plan,” Mr Beck said.
"We meet with them on a regular basis, and we have to work through those channels in order to identify the issues and overcome them, but Uisce Éireann work at a national level in terms of their investment plan and we then have to engage with them to get the best result for Tipperary,” he added.
Works on the WWTP got underway in February, with Uisce Éireann describing it as a “watershed moment” for Tipperary.
Maria O’Dwyer, infrastructure delivery director at Uisce Éireann, said: “This project represents a powerful investment in Nenagh’s future. As this region continues to expand, our wastewater infrastructure must rise to meet that momentum.
"This critical investment will not only safeguard the local environment but will unlock essential capacity to support the building of new homes,” she added.
"We are committed to delivering for communities across Tipperary and this project is part of our ongoing multimillion euro investment in wastewater infrastructure across the county, including recently completed projects in Newport, Ballina, and Cahir; as well as the upgrade underway at Fethard and in Kilsheelan where planning permission was recently granted,” Ms O’Dwyer said.