Sewage treatment project to allow for more housing in North Cork town

Improving existing treatment plant which will allow some “shovel-ready” housing projects to proceed

Irish Water is planning an interim project to increase capacity at the sewage treatment plant in Mitchelstown, which will hopefully allow a small number of housing projects to get underway in the area.

Growth in the town has been stagnated in recent years by the problem and the utility is planning a major upgrade of these facilities.

However, that's likely to be a bit down the road, so in the interim it has agreed to improve capacity at the existing treatment plant which will allow some “shovel-ready” housing projects to proceed.

News of the move was provided to councillors in the North Cork region by county engineer Kevin Morey.

He said that he and his team had held a high-level meeting with Irish Water officials on the matter.

Mr Morey said any major upgrade of the treatment facilities would be very expensive and that project “is a little further away than we'd hoped.” He said that in the interim Irish Water have committed to design works to maximise capacity, which will “address some of the pent-up demand (for housing) there is there.” 

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Fianna Fáil councillor Willie O'Leary said at least the interim project "will allow a couple of shovel-ready projects to happen.” He said he welcomed this because any development in the town “has effectively been on hold for the last few years” due to capacity issues at the treatment plant.

Fianna Fáil councillor Frank O'Flynn wanted to know when the major upgrading project would be carried out by Irish Water, as a lot of housing and industrial development depended on this.

Mr Morey said unfortunately he couldn't provide a timeframe for this work. He said he hoped the interim solution should be known in the next few weeks.

“I'm confident there is commitment for the interim and long-term projects and the funding has been set aside by Irish Water for both,” Mr Morey said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Deirdre O'Brien, who lives in Mitchelstown, said since she was elected to the council in 2016 capacity issues at the treatment plant had been a constant issue.

“There must be some spare capacity there. I live here in the town and every day I meet young people who can't get houses here. They now have to look far out in the countryside for housing and this isn't right,” Ms O'Brien added.