IFA defends deal on water pipe running through Offaly

THE compensation package being offered to up to 200 Offaly farmers on the route of the proposed water pipe from the Shannon river to Dublin was defended at an IFA meeting on Friday.

Paul O'Brien, South Leinster IFA regional chair, who was a negotiator with Uisce Eireann (Irish Water) said the average figure of €100,000 was a reasonable figure for farmers.

“It took over 40 meetings to get to the position where we believe that the package offered to farmers was a sound, just and a good package,” said Mr O'Brien (pictured by Ger Rogers below).

Under the deal, farmers can enter into voluntary land agreements with Uisce Eireann. A slice of land about 50 metres wide will be required during the construction of the water pipe, which will take an estimated two years.

After that, the landowners will grant Uisce Eireann a wayleave 20 metres wide. The pipe will run from the Parteen basin south of Lough Derg through north Tipperary, Offaly and Kildare before terminating at Peamount in Dublin.

It will be 172km long and the meeting on Friday in Tullamore was told by Mr O'Brien that the nearest equivalent project he was aware of was one 100km in length in England.

The longest single stretch of the pipeline in any one county is in Offaly, hence the large number of farmers impacted.

“A lot of agricultural land will be taken out of production for two years,” said Mr O'Brien.

He believes over 70% of farmers on the route have signed up to the package offered and much of the remainder may be involved in legal issues relating to land transfers, such as probate, which happen to be occurring at this time.

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He said there are always going to be people who “don't want to know”, adding: “All we can do is offer them a very viable alternative.”

He praised Offaly IFA chair Pat Walsh for the part he played in the talks with Uisce Eireann, as well as Offaly man Kevin Kinsella, the consultant in the IFA who was the “brains of the outfit”.

Mr O'Brien said a deal had also been concluded this summer in Edenderry with Gas Networks Ireland in relation to a supply line of 22km.

“A smaller project... but most certainly it's very important to Offaly,” he said.

The gas pipeline will be needed for a generating station to back up the electricity coming from wind turbines.

“It's lower than the [package for] Uisce Eireann pipeline but the working widths are also considerably smaller.”

Once it starts, Mr O'Brien expects the work on the gas line to be completed quicker than the Shannon pipe. The latter project could go to construction in 2027.