Uisce Eireann’s plans for a new wastewater treatment plant in West Clare have been rejected.
The controversial proposal received 140 public submissions during the planning process, largely due to its proximity to the Kilkee Cliff Walk.
It was all the way back in January, when the utility lodged it’s plans for a new foul pumping station and sewerage treatment plant on a 4.5 hectare site in Foohagh, Kilkee.
But the plans met fierce opposition as the proposed access point to the new plant is just 620m away from the Kilkee Cliff Walk.
In February, Clare County Council requested further information from Uisce Eireann on the project after a large volume of local residents highlighted the potential for emanating odours that may impact the health and safety of visitors.
One such submission suggested that the site of a disused quarry just 2km further on the Dunlicky Road, would be a more suitable location for a treatment plant in Kilkee.
Another submission from the Stella Maris Hotel in the town also highlighted concerns for visitors, stating “If allowed to go ahead the WWTP will be clearly visible from various points along the cliff walk whose visual appeal is integral to Kilkee’s status as a tourist destination and plays a pivotal role in the town’s economic well-being and sustainability.
Adding “We even have the directions to the walk printed on our breakfast menus, It would be very upsetting for us if we no longer had the confidence of the feel good factor our guests should experience”
The residents of Páirc Na Bláthana also lodged an objection, which stated that as some property owners would be just 50 metres away, the development raised concerns over noise, odour and a lack of consultation.
The association contends that when works were previously carried out in 2022 in relation to the proposed WWTP, the “estate became a roadway for careless driving and HGVs”.
Clare County Council refused planning permission for the development on this occasion though subject to four conditions.
These include that the development is contrary to the sustainable development of the area due to the bulk and scale of the plant and that due to the significant seasonal variations in foul loading in Kilkee, it has not been adequately demonstrated that the WWTP could manage this capacity.
Uisce Eireann had initially hoped to deliver a new WWTP in Kilkee by 2027 in order “to stop the discharge of effluent into maritime areas” as pursuant to a grant of planning permission, the construction phase had been estimated to take 18 to 24 months.
