An Coimisiún Pleanála defers decision on Shannon Pipe
A number of Councillors in Tipperary have raised ‘grave concerns’ about the project
An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) has deferred its decision on Uisce Éireann's controversial “Water Supply – Eastern and Midlands Region” Project.
The massive infrastructure plan, which involves pumping over 300 million litres of water a day from the River Shannon to the Eastern and Midlands region, has been met during recent months and years with grave concerns from local councils and campaigners regarding its environmental impact and ballooning costs.
ACP was due to make a decision on July 2 on Uisce Éireann's Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) application but wrote to all parties to say that "the Commission now intends to determine this application before July 2, 2027". The letter stated that the Commission "will take all such steps as are open to it to ensure that the matter is determined before that date". Uisce Éireann lodged the plans last December and the ACP letter states that the statutory objective is to determine such a case within 18 weeks of the application being lodged. The commission has told parties that "it will not be possible to determine the case within the statutory objective period due to the need for further consideration of the case". The SID application is for permission to begin constructing the major water project that will pipe drinking water from the River Shannon at the Parteen Basin below Lough Derg on to the Midlands Eastern and Greater Dublin area.
Local communities in Tipperary and across the Shannon region said they will use this window of the coming months as a period during which they can continue to voice their concerns and opposition to the project.
A number of local politicians in Tipperary County Council, including Cllr Seamie Morris, have raised "grave concerns" over the scheme over many months and years. They are now pointing out that it's obvious that the planning body is procrastinating over the massive project.
Ballooning Costs are one concern. Estimated costs for the pipeline could range between €4.6 billion and over €10 billion. Cllr Morris said it could be one of the largest potential economic scandals in Irish commercial history.
Meanwhile, Uisce Éireann and the Government describe the pipeline as "a critical infrastructure project" needed for housing, population growth, and economic development. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the plan as "an imperative" when plans were lodged last December. A total of 114 submissions have been lodged with ACP on the proposals and in an objection, the River Shannon Environmental Protection Alliance told ACP that the "Eastern and Midlands Pipeline Project represents a high-risk, high-cost, and environmentally unsound approach to water supply".
“The Shannon is not just a line on an engineering map,” said one critic of the Pipe. “It is an ecological, recreational, economic and cultural resource for Tipperary, Clare, Limerick, Galway, Offaly and many other communities along its course.”
Cllr Morris called into question Uisce Éireann's handling of Ireland's water services. “There are 200,000 on boil water notices,” he pointed out. “23% of Wastewater Treatment Plants are not compliant due to poor management of the plants. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities is hammering Uisce Éireann over an inability to make leakage targets. Europe is hammering Ireland with fines over water quality. Uisce Éireann can't determine how much water Data Centres are using. 153 landowners affected by the Shannon ecoside Pipe project have already been paid out on average €100,000 for a project that has neither planning permission nor an abstraction licence (they are already engaging contractors for the job). ACP has kicked a decision on the Shannon Pipe project for another year and the Government sees no problem with staff awarding themselves gold plated bonuses. The words banana and republic come to mind.”
Deputy Mattie McGrath told ACP that the project “represents an outdated, high-risk engineering solution that fails to protect the Shannon, fails to incorporate modern hydrogeological understanding, and fails to deliver a resilient long-term water strategy for Ireland.”
Industry representative body IBDC strongly urged ACP to approve the SID application “and enable the timely delivery of this essential strategic project.” Chambers Ireland said the project will help alleviate concerns “regarding security of supply for both businesses and homes in a region covering a vast area of the State.”