Social housing units in Newmarket-on-Fergus will be completed two years before a treatment plant is ready to receive sewage from the houses, a construction representative has cautioned.
Irish Water’s delay in fixing wastewater issues in Newmarket on Fergus was brought to the attention of the Social Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) by construction representative Larry Brennan.
He referred to the Shannon public-private partnership (PPP) which relates to part of the first-ever PPP contract for social housing in the nation and its impact on the eighteen unit social housing development in Newmarket-on-Fergus.
“You are going to have houses finished two years before the treatment plant is ready to receive the sewage from those houses. I have been tracking the updates through the managers order and every two months the date is getting further away. This month, the managers order details that in the worst-case scenario, it will be fixed in early 2024,” the Ennis man stated.
Woodhaven Developments which is owned by Mr Brennan previously had plans rejected to construct a 51 housing development in Ballynacragga in Newmarket-on-Fergus. The matter of treatment ‘deficits’ in the area have previously been flagged at SPC level by the developer.
Speaking at the recent SPC meeting, Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) noted the ‘chronic housing shortage’ and stressed the need to have houses ready when there is an opportunity to build and construct them as a result of Government funding.
“Quite often the gloves don’t come together as quickly as we would like. Our war will have to be with Irish Water and the deliverance of infrastructure far more rampantly than it is being delivered. I hear great press releases from them, they have a fantastic PR team. We have to have the houses ready to be lived in because we have the people in our county that need houses,” the Killaloe representative stated.
Chair of the SPC, Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) commented that Irish Water were not prepared to come into a public forum despite several invitations. “It is a sad reflection on where we are going as a country in putting these people in charge of delivering such an important utility”.
