Water issue holding up Kildare estate being taken in charge
Photo for illustrative purposes only
ROAD resurfacing works in a Kildare village are being held up as the estate cannot currently be taken in charge by Kildare County Council.
This issue is related to the adjacent wastewater treatment plant, which is run by Uisce Éireann.
The matter was raised the most recent meeting of the Athy Municipal District (MD) when cllr Mark Leigh asked the council if it plans to resurface the Cluain Ard estate in Kilmead.
Senior executive engineer in building control Liam McNeela issued the council’s response which outlined that the local authority is “working to progress the taking in charge” of the estate. It was further detailed that there has been engagement with Uisce Éireann to resolve an issue with the wastewater treatment plant.
The council’s response added that once the issue is resolved, a site resolution plan will be undertaken, which will include resurfacing works in the estate.
The contacted the council after the meeting for further detail on the issue. The council explained that the matter raised at the meeting concerns the treatment plant continuing to be designated as Developer Provided Infrastructure (DPI) — despite it being run by Uisce Éireann since 2021 — which means it cannot be taken in charge by the council.
The council said: “DPI refers to housing developments served by standalone water services infrastructure that has been provided by the developer and is not currently eligible to be taken in charge by the local authority”.
A problem with odour coming from the treatment plant emerged at the January meeting of Athy Municipal District. It is unclear whether this is related to the issue of taking in charge of the estate. Uisce Éireann was contacted for comment but had yet to respond at the time of publishing.
