Wastewater treatment plans put on hold

Plans to carry out an expansion of the wastewater treatment plant at Mountshannon have been put on hold by Clare County Council.

The Water Services Department of Clare County Council has withdrawn its Part 8 application to expand the existing wastewater treatment plant in Mountshannon because a planned large-scale development is now no longer going ahead.
Correspondence on file with the planning authority outlines that the application had been lodged consequent to a developer’s requirement for increased capacity.
Senior executive engineer Hugh McGrath outlined that the developer in question “is no longer pursuing his application. Subsequently water services are no longer interested in pursuing the Part 8 at this point in time and we would like to formally withdraw the application”.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, Mr McGrath outlined that the expansion had been planned as a result of developer led proposals.
“The existing plant is currently at close to capacity, so it is able to deal with organic growth in the area. The council doesn’t have resources to expand the treatment plant and has deferred it as it is considered only necessary with further large development [in the area]. If there was to be significant development then we would have to look at it again. But the pressure for development is no longer present.”
“We have done minor upgrade works there and we are still dealing with improvements there,” he added.
East Clare county councillor Pat Hayes said he was disappointed that the expansion works have been withdrawn, and said the County Council should have “continued with the application”.
“Locals have been looking for this upgrade and I hope it will make it back onto the agenda in the near future. It is a sign of the economic times with a shortage of money for upgrading of services and we would want to be mindful of places that need to be upgraded. I hope that we continue to invest in them,” he added.