Investment in Glanworth Waste Water infrastructure announced

Glanworth is set to benefit from an Irish Water Programme which is investing in local wastewater infrastructure to provide additional capacity.

Following consultation with Cork County Council, the local village was announced on Wednesday as the sixth project in the county to be allocated funding under the Small Towns and Villages Growth programme.

The investment will support growth and housing development while protecting the local environment and supporting the Government’s Housing for All initiative. It will also ensure that wastewater continues to be treated to an appropriate standard.

The announcement was welcomed by local councillor Deirdre O'Brien who has been working to see an increase in Glanworth's capacity.

“I’m delighted with this announcement. This investment will replace what’s there, because what is there is defunct. It will add capacity to allow for more building and development in Glanworth village,” Cllr O’Brien said.

Working in conjunction with developer PC Quality Homes, regarding the construction of 31 new dwelling houses in the area, a third of which will be social housing, Cllr O’Brien said the announcement of investment in Glanworth’s Waste Water was ‘positive news’.

While granted permission in June of 2020, the development of 31 new houses in Glanworth was bound by a condition regarding the Waste Water situation locally.

“No development shall commence on site until such a time that the required upgrade works are commenced at Glanworth Waste Water Treatment Plant, or unless otherwise agreed with the Planning Authority. No connections shall be made to the public sewer until such time that the upgrade works at Glanworth Waste Water Treatment Plant are complete,” the conditions read.

‘BOOSTING’ QUALITY OF LIFE

Local councillor Frank O’Flynn also welcomed news of the programme, describing it as a ‘great new year boost for the area’.

“This funding will enable the design, detailed planning, and any appropriate works to enlarge the existing wastewater treatment plant. It’s very much needed in the area. Upgrading the existing wastewater treatment plant is one of the most important things locally,” Cllr O’Flynn said.

Pointing to the planned development of the 31 houses for Glanworth, Cllr O’Flynn noted that the investment into Irish Water infrastructure will also ensure that the building of houses and further development in the village can commence.

“It means that other developments in Glanworth will also be able to come on stream. This is a great new year boost for the area and will give local people an opportunity to live locally, while boosting the quality of life in the village.

“This, along with the 3km replacement pipe that went in from Dunmahon Reservoir to the village earlier last year, is great news for Glanworth. I want to thank Kevin Morey, director of Services in Cork County Council for his help and support in getting this over the line,” Cllr O’Flynn added.

News of the programme follows an article in The Avondhu last February which revealed that the Glanworth Waste Water Treatment Plant has no remaining headroom (spare capacity) available.

According to an Irish Water report at the time, in Glanworth, Irish Water had proposed to upgrade the plant to an 800 person equivalent, at the time, however, no programme for the expansion was available.

Cork East TD Fianna Fáil James O’Connor also welcomed the recent announcement for Glanworth.

“I warmly welcome the news of Irish Water helping another local area in the North Cork region. It is important that we improve the Irish Water programme to support growth and housing developments across Cork county, while maintaining an above standard water scheme. I look forward to working with Irish Water on this matter.”

While Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton said he was delighted with the funding.

“Issues with the town’s wastewater capacity hindering plans to develop local housing projects have been brought to my attention in recent years and I have continued to highlight these issues directly with Irish Water and with the ministers concerned. It is great to see that continued engagement between local housing developers, Cork County Council and Irish Water has now seen a very favourable outcome for the community of Glanworth.

“This funding will allow for the necessary upgrade of the Glanworth Wastewater Treatment Plant to accommodate much-needed housing development which I am certain will be welcomed by all locally,” Deputy Staunton said.

Maria O’Dwyer, Acting Head of Asset Management for Irish Water said that the programme is focused on assisting growth in areas already served by Irish Water infrastructure.

“Irish Water put this unique programme in place and allocated funding having identified the need to support growth in smaller towns and villages. The six projects were selected following detailed consultation with Cork County Council to identify and prioritise areas for investment.

“We would also like to thank all elected representatives across the country for their engagement with us in highlighting the areas most in need,” she said.

CATERING FOR GROWTH

This programme supports growth and development in towns and villages throughout the country while protecting the environment and safeguarding water supplies.

Six settlements to benefit from the programme after consultation and assessment of each project include Glanworth, Castlemagner, Ballinspittle, Belgooly, Ballineen/Enniskean and Kilumney/Ovens.

Irish Water has announced these projects to enable local authorities to make plans on housing and development in the short and medium-term supporting their regional and local development plans. The project will now continue through the next stages including design, detailed planning, procurement and approvals.

Further updates on the budget and timelines for delivery will be provided in due course.

Looking forward, Irish Water anticipates that this programme will continue in the next capital investment programme, delivering further upgrades to cater for growth.

Under the programme, 37 projects throughout the country have been allocated funding to date.

Irish Water is responsible for public water and wastewater infrastructure and is committed to providing a safe and reliable water supply, protecting the environment and supporting the growth of homes and businesses.

The building, repair and upgrading of Irish Water’s water treatment plants, wastewater treatment plants, water and sewer network will require a multi-billion euro investment programme over many years.

Irish Water is investing €5.2 billion in the period from 2020-2024 in drinking water and waste water quality and capacity and new infrastructure.