€1.3bn Dublin Sewage Plant Approved After 7 Years | Irish Times
Greater Dublin Drainage Project Receives Green Light After Planning Delays
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After years of setbacks and a costly delay, the Greater Dublin Drainage project - a crucial piece of infrastructure for enabling housing development in the region – has finally received planning permission from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.The project, estimated to now cost €1.3 billion, will substantially increase wastewater treatment capacity for Dublin, addressing a critical bottleneck hindering the construction of new homes.
addressing Dublin’s Wastewater Capacity Crisis
The new wastewater treatment plant will be located at Clonshaugh, and will collect sewage from Blanchardstown, transferring it via a new pumping station at abbotstown, north of the M50. Treated water will then be discharged into the Irish Sea through a 6km marine outfall pipeline extending from Baldoyle to a point 1km northeast of ireland’s Eye.
The project’s journey to approval has been protracted. An initial application submitted to An Bord Pleanála in June 2018 received permission in 2019, but this decision was overturned following a successful judicial review. The case was then referred back to An Bord Pleanála – now the Commission for Regulation of Utilities – for a new determination. This week’s approval marks the culmination of that process.
Impact on Housing Development
The approval comes as Uisce Éireann has repeatedly warned about the limitations of existing infrastructure to support planned housing targets. Jerry Grant, Chairman of Uisce Éireann, stated in March that the State’s water and sewerage systems are “in a desperate state” due to past underinvestment. He emphasized that achieving the goal of building 50,000 homes annually is impossible without a “new approach from the government” and strong leadership in developing water services.
The delays in approving the Clonshaugh plant have had a direct financial impact. The original estimated cost of €650 million in 2018 has now ballooned to €1.3 billion – a figure Grant attributes to the “cost of delay.” More significantly, Uisce Éireann has been unable to permit development in large areas of north and north west Dublin, precisely where much of the development potential lies.
In May, Uisce Éireann warned it “may be unable to grant new connections to the wastewater network in parts of the Greater Dublin Area” by 2028, highlighting the urgency of the situation. This potential constraint on development underscores the importance of the Clonshaugh plant in unlocking housing supply.
Project Timeline and Next Steps
Uisce Éireann anticipates construction will take four years to complete. However, several pre-construction statutory processes must be finalized before work can begin.
The utility has already applied to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for a Wastewater Discharge License, submitted last December. Moreover, the project requires both a Maritime Area Consent and a Maritime Usage Licence, applications for which will be submitted ”in the coming months.”
Once these consents are secured, Uisce Éireann will initiate a “robust contractor procurement process” to select a construction partner. This comprehensive process aims to ensure the project is delivered efficiently and effectively, ultimately providing the necesary wastewater infrastructure to support Dublin’s future growth.