No construction for Cloughjordan due to wastewater problem

No construction work is possible for Cloughjordan due to an ongoing wastewater treatment plant problem.

Angry councillors called for expansion works to be carried out on the town's sewage system as a matter of urgency, during last week's monthly meeting of Nenagh Municipal District.

“We have a problem in Tipperary,” commented Cllr Michael O'Meara, “because a number of wastewater treatment plants are at capacity or nearly at capacity. In Cloughjordan the plant has been at capacity for many months which means that building work can't proceed. It's causing a lot of frustration and irritation. As a result the Council is not able to give planning permission to applications.” The councillor said he has talked to Deputy Michael Lowry about the problem. “The Deputy is very aware of the issue.”

The councillors agreed they should lobby Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan about the matter. They said they want to arrange a meeting with the Minister.

The councillors also criticised Irish Water, something they have done on a number of occasions previously. “Negotiating with Irish Water is often very difficult,” said Cllr O'Meara.

The members pointed out that Cloughjordan's potential is massive and new housing could take off if the conditions are right.
  A few months ago a Council official told a Nenagh MD meeting that Irish Water was surveying the waste water system in Townfields Housing Estate in Cloughjordan and would be issuing a report.
"The issue in Townfields has been bogged down for a long time," remarked Cllr Ger Darcy. "The sooner we get over this hump the better, because Townfields and the town in general is being held back."

The Council wants to take Townfields in charge during the second quarter of 2022.
Cllr Joe Hannigan said the issue in Townfields has been a conundrum for quite a while. "The wastewater pumping station for Townfields is located in a field beside the Townfields housing estate,” he said. “There are 30 houses in Townfields and their wastewater is partially treated by the pumping station before being transferred to the town wastewater plant." The Council official told the meeting that  Cloughjordan is one of six areas in the county which Irish Water is surveying. He pointed out that some of Townfields pumping station's mechanisms need to be replaced. "In spite of this I am certain that it is not having a negative impact on the town plant."
Cllr Ger Darcy said the best solution would be to get rid of the pumping station and have all wastewater leading directly to the main town plant. “At the moment,” he remarked, “because the main town plant is at full capacity and there can't be any more housing development in Cloughjordan we are getting a lot of calls from concerned locals. The ecovillage is very keen to expand and a possible fifty extra houses could be built in the ecovillage but it is all being held back because of this problem. We have no timeline when this might possibly be resolved, and we all know how long these things can drag on for.”
  Cloughjordan's population grew by 55% between 2006 and 2016. Donald Austin of the Cloughjordan Community Development Committee (CCDC) recently gave a strong speech calling for help from the government to find a way out of the impasse. 

  Kristina Lomas of Cloughjordan Ecovillage recently pointed out that the ecovillage has 50 serviced sites which cannot be sold, despite demand, due to the wastewater-capacity issue and the attendant embargo on planning permissions in the village.
  Donald Austin  said the CCDC had been successful in building a community crèche, the Thomas MacDonagh Museum and Library, woodland trails, a town park, and the Scohaboy Bog restoration project.
“Cloughjordan has always been a diverse town over the centuries and in the early 2000s,” he said, “it became even more so, with the addition of the ecovillage – bringing ideas, art, creativity, culture, music, and theatre, including a community organic farm, an eco-hostel, and an amphitheatre. But all these projects are in the past: we are now in the present and thinking about the future. In a time when I read and listen to so much talk about the lack of supply of housing, we have 50 serviced sites in the ecovillage, with people waiting to buy them, but they can’t be built on because of the lack of capacity in the sewerage plant. Furthermore, the Development Committee is planning to turn the old derelict mill into an arts and education centre. There are also plans to turn the old coach house into an information and educational centre for the ecovillage. Cloughjordan House, one of the most historical houses in the village, has developed a very successful business as a country house and wedding venue, and has become a significant employer in the area. It will bring over 15,000 people into the village next year, and has plans to develop and expand its business, but this is contingent on an upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant.”
Kristina Lomas commented: “There is a persistent strong demand for sites and housing here and we welcome that.”