Kilkee plant a 'waste of public resources' says engineer who stalled Supermac's plan

THE engineer who has stalled Supermac’s motorway plaza plan for outside Ennis has described Uisce Eireann’s Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) planning application for Kilkee as "a disgraceful waste of scarce public resources” and will be an "open wound and eye-sore” on the local landscape.

In an objection against the planned WWTP on behalf of the Dunlicky Rd Residents Group in Kilkee, Michael Duffy further contends that "a 10 year planning application is cynical in the extreme in circumstances where Kilkee should have had secondary wastewater treatment since 2000”. 

Last month Uisce Eireann lodged plans for its new waste-water treatment plant aimed at eliminating “in so far as possible” the discharge of untreated waste-water into Intrinsic Bay at Kilkee.

However, Mr Duffy contends that "this application is an ill-considered, expensive, boxticking exercise by the applicant which simply wants to be seen to be taking steps, no matter how inappropriate, to address its historic inability to provide a basic and fundamental requirement for planning and sustainable development in a long established important tourism town”.

Mr Duffy is separately challenging the appeals board planning permission for Supermac’s motorway plaza near Ennis and in the hard-hitting objection against the WWTP, Mr Duffy said that "this 10 year application, even if appropriate, which it is not, will not stop many more years of restrictions on Kilkee residents, businesses and visitors”. 

He contends that "if a private enterprise was causing such disruption it would be closed immediately and the matter properly resolved.

The Applicant is unanswerable to anyone”. Mr Duffy said that "the proposal is a material contravention of the county development plan in many respects including the fact that the proposed pump station site is zoned for tourism which does not permit consideration for utility use, including wastewater infrastructure”.

He said: "It is unconscionable, in this day and age, that a new WWTP would be designed for primary treatment only. Would a private householder be permitted to discharge primary effluent from a septic to coastal waters?”

Mr Duffy further states that the location of this WWTP on a scenic route, the Wild Atlantic Way “further illustrates the contempt this applicant has for the people of Kilkee and its visitors.

READ MORE: 'Model citizen' bit off top part of brother's ear in east Clare farmyard row

The plant will be an open wound and eye-sore on the settled natural landscape".

Cllr Ian Lynch (Ind) has told the Council in a submission that the WWTP must be relocated to ensure the negative impacts are mitigated against.

A spokesman for Uisce Eireann has already stated that as the application is live, Uisce Eireann wouldn’t be commenting on the contents of submissions.He said that the project “will end the discharge of inadequately treated sewage into the bay”.

He said: “The new sewerage infrastructure will bring significant benefits to the local community by improving water quality in the receiving waters at Intrinsic Bay”.

He added that the scheme “will also enhance the environmental amenity of Kilkee, protecting recreational swimming, fishing, boating and sightseeing waters”.Clare Co Council will make a decision on the application later this month.