This article is from page 4 of the 2011-09-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
ENNIS Town Council anticipates that work on a crucial upgrade of the Ennis / Clarecastle sewerage scheme will begin in the first half of 2012 pending approval from An Bord Pleanála.
The Council’s latest quarterly progress report states that the project is likely to cost € 2.8 million.
The report states, “An Bord Pleanála has indicated that they will make their decision by early November. Clare County Council intends to proceed to tender once de- tails of An Bord Pleanála decision is known and this will take a period of three months. Work should start in the second quarter in the second quarter of 2012 and the contract period is for 12 months. A review of the water services investment programme has included the project to the value of € 2.8 million.”
An oral hearing on the environmental impact survey for the upgrade works at the Clondroadmore Treatment Plant was held in Ennis on July 28.
At the hearing, David Timlin, Director of Environment and Water Services at Clare County Council, described the upgrade as urgent, saying it was needed to cater for future commercial development in Ennis.
The proposal forms part of a coherent plan for the provision of upgraded facilities to treat all wastewater arising in the entire Ennis area.
At the time Mr Timlin stated that certain wastewater license conditions issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cannot be met until the plant upgrade is completed.
Recommending that the project get the go-ahead, Andrew Hersey, Executive Planner with Ennis Town Council, said that “Since 2006, planning applications for large residential and commercial schemes have been refused in the basis of inadequate capacity in the public sewer and prematurity pending the provision of sewerage facilities in the town.”
Mr Hersey added that without an upgrade to the wastewater network, “future development in the town will stagnate and the success of the town as a hub town for the mid-west region will ultimately fail”.