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The Irish Times has reported that the search for a
site for a new regional sewerage plant for the greater Dublin
area is to resume more than three years after the original
location at Portrane in north Dublin was rejected by Fingal
county councillors.
The plant, which would have the capacity to process the waste
of up to 850,000 people and would be second in size only to
the Ringsend sewerage plant, was recommended by the Greater
Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, published in 2005.
This study was commissioned by the seven local authorities
in the greater Dublin area – the four Dublin councils and
Meath, Kildare and Wicklow County Councils – to determine
the sewerage and drainage needs of the region until 2031.
The €140 million Portrane plant was to be one of the key
elements of the plan, as it was to take the strain from the
already overburdened sewerage systems of west Dublin suburbs
of Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart, Lucan and Clondalkin, as well
as catering for the needs of rapidly growing communities in
east Meath and north Kildare. However, its development has
been on hold since November 2005, when Fingal councillors
from all parties voted to reject any proposals for a 'single
super waste water treatment plant' in the Fingal area
and ordered that a strategic environmental assessment be carried
out on the drainage study.
The commissioning of this assessment was approved by the
managers in the seven local authorities. It has now been completed
and has recommended that the regional plant is necessary and
should be located on the north Dublin coastline. However,
the exact location of the plant will only be determined following
a new site selection process.
The report also said that the lack of sewerage facilities
was putting constraints on developments that had been accepted
for the area. Future development would be 'seriously curtailed'
if the situation was not remedied.
The search for a new site will hold back the already delayed
project by a further two years, at the least, before planning
permission for the plant can be sought.
While Portrane has received a reprieve, it is not out of
the running in terms of site selection. The assessment did
not recommend any potential sites, but laid down certain environmental
criteria – in relation to issues such as air and water
quality, health, climate factors and landscape impact – which
will be used to choose the best site.
“The environmental report is the wringer through which potential
sites will be put” - Paul Smyth, senior executive officer
with Fingal’s water services department, told The Irish
Times.
The strategic environmental assessment was recently presented
to the environmental committees of the seven local authorities,
with the recommendation that consultants now be appointed
to select the new site. This appointment will require the
approval of each local authority and is likely to take between
three and six months.
The selection of a site will take a further six to 18 months.
To download - Introduction to GDSDS - June 05 - Click
Here
To download - GDSDS Final Strategy Report - Executive
Summary - (Click
Here)
For more information - Click
Here
Source - The Irish Times
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