Greater Dublin Drainage Project gets green light seven years after it was first proposed
The major water treatment plant, which will have the capacity to serve 500,000 people, is to be located on a 30-hectare site in Clonshagh in Fingal. Uisce Éireann says people in north Dublin, as well as parts of Meath and Kildare will benefit from it.
Objections to the development over environmental concerns had slowed the planning process, and had knock-on effects for housing projects in the area.
The cost of the project has doubled over the last seven years,
now sitting at €1.3 billion
.
An Coimisiún Pleanála deemed it unnecessary to hold more public meetings and said there would be net positive long-term effects on public health.
It also said there would be 'significant negative temporary impacts' on the public, from noise, vibrations, and other disturbances during construction.
As well as nearby houses, Connolly Hospital and St Francis hospice may be impacted.
However, the Commission said mitigation measures, such as the construction of a 1km tunnel for an orbital pipeline through the plant's site, will help.
Temporary rehousing of local residents may be considered, if the disturbances still prove too much.
The Commission doesn't believe that odour from the site will be a problem for locals.
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On the environmental impact, the Commission said there will be 'a number of slight or short and very localised negative impacts' to marine biodiversity.
There could also be 'short-term moderate' impact on birds due to the noise and visual disturbance.
'The cumulative benefits of the totality of the treatment system extend beyond the impact of the emissions,' the Commission said.
A map of the scale of the GDDP
Uisce Éireann
Uisce Éireann
Uisce Éireann
had warned
that the drinking water supply in north Dublin was going to be tight over the coming years if delays with projects such as the water treatment plant persisted.
The chair of the utility's board Jerry Grant also said the delivery of homes had become 'very challenging' due to various judicial reviews involving this project and others.
Uisce Éireann described it as an essential project.
In a statement today, a spokesperson for Uisce Éireann said: 'The Greater Dublin Drainage Project was first submitted for planning in 2018 and since that time, population and economic growth means the volume of wastewater we are producing has continued to grow, so the delivery of this critical infrastructure project is more important than ever.
'This project will increase the development potential of Dublin and parts of the surrounding counties by providing new infrastructure that will alleviate pressure within the existing wastewater network.'
The utility said the next step is completing the remaining pre-construction statutory processes and progressing the procurement of contractors to construct the project.
The project is anticipated to take four years to complete.
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