Developments delay over sewerage infrastructure

Developments delay over sewerage infrastructure

3 April 2024

NEW development in many of the district’s towns and villages is being delayed due a lack of investment in sewage treatment plants and sewerage systems.

The news comes after confirmation last month that a second major community development project in Dundrum is being held up by an ongoing ban on development in the village.

Northern Ireland Water has revealed this week that there are sewer network capacity issues in Dundrum, Annsborough, Ballynahinch, Downpatrick, Maghera and Saintfield.

It has also been revealed that sewage treatment plant upgrades are proposed for Downpatrick, Annsborough, 

Drumaness and Newcastle, subject to all statutory approvals, planning permission, land acquisition and funding.

In Dundrum, the Church of Ireland has plans to develop the Old School House at the junction of Main Street and School Hill to create two units which could be rented out to community organisations or as the base for commercial operations. 

The listed building has been derelict for a number of years and the Church is keen to develop the site to stop the deterioration in the structure and the provide an income for the parish.

However, the plans by the Select Vestry of Kilmegan, Dundrum and Maghera have been blocked by NI Water which is refusing to allow any connections to the sewer network until the completion of the ongoing upgrade of the sewerage infrastructure in the village.

A similar development plan to regenerate another derelict site in the village – the former Castle Vaults pub at the other end of Main Street – is also in limbo because of the ban which NI Water says will not be lifted until two pumping stations are constructed at either end of Dundrum.

In its place, the DDA wants to 

construct two commercial units and four apartments in a building which will mirror as closely as possible the attractive bar which once occupied the site.

However, NI Water is opposed to the development of the Castle Vaults site and the Old School House, along with all other development in the village which requires a connection to a sewer, because of the pressure on the sewerage infrastructure.

NI Water began a major upgrade to the sewerage infrastructure in 2019 and has completed the overhaul of the sewage treatment works on the Newcastle Road and of the sewers throughout the village. 

The provision of the pumping stations is the last part of the project. However, the ongoing financial problems facing NI Water means it has been continually delayed and there is no indication of when the work will be carried out.

Because of the delay in completing the work, Dundrum is in a unique position in Northern Ireland as the only village or town where a complete ban on development has been imposed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

The historic lack of investment in the province’s water infrastructure has resulted in “significant” capacity issues that are affecting new developments, a report has said.

According to the report by the comptroller and auditor general of the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIO), Dorinnia Carville, construction of new homes is among the developments affected.

The NIO estimates that development applications in 100 areas, including 25 cities and towns, cannot be approved or are subject to restrictions due to pressure of wastewater and sewerage infrastructure.

The report warned that these limitations “could profoundly affect” the Executive’s ability to deliver against its objectives, including on the delivery of housing commitments.

The report said that underinvestment in water infrastructure “has been a long-term problem” and pre-dates the establishment of NI Water in 2007.

In addition, the document highlighted that a 2007 independent review, commissioned by the then Department for Regional Development, highlighted that NI Water inherited a network of assets that had suffered from lower levels of investment than other regions of the UK.

And it added that projected funding is set to continue to fail to meet the needs of NI Water, revealing that funding for NI Water is £93m lower than needed for 2023/24 and that a shortfall is expected to continue into 2024/25.

The Department recently confirmed that NI Water’s 2023/24 capital allocations will be £321m compared to the £370m requested, with resource funding of £171m granted against a request of £215 million.

It has also been confirmed that the funding allocation for 2024-25 will be lower than requested, with warnings issued that the reduction in the anticipated level of funding will impact the number of capital outputs that can be delivered.

The report said analysis by NI Water suggests that addressing the consequences of historic underinvestment will require “substantially higher levels of funding” than previously delivered and that an annual investment of £350m a year will be need to be sustained for the next 15 years, it said.