Louth residents protest plans for waste water treatment plant beside their homes

Residents of the Dundoogan housing estate in Dundalk, along with their neighbours, have raised a petition against plans submitted to Louth County Council, for a temporary waste water treatment plant on land that they say was originally zoned for an educational facility.

Groveview Builders Ltd applied to Louth County Council in February for the development at Raynoldstown Village, Haynestown, Dundalk, seeking planning permission for the construction of a temporary foul sewer pumping station and a temporary wastewater treatment plant to pre-treat wastewater prior to discharging to the public sewer. 

The local residents have said that they will be submitting a formal objection to Louth County Council on the proposed development, and are asking their local community to "sign this petition to support us as a resident of Dundoogan, Raynoldstown village, Wadman park and The Boulevard, to strongly object to this development and ask for Louth County Council to refuse this application in the interest of the existing residential amenity, proper phased development of the Masterplan and public health issues."

In their petition, the residents listed five main points raised in their letter to Louth County Council, they are:

1. Source of foul odour, air pollution & noise within a developed residential area - the residents say that the treatment plant will be located in close proximity to their dwellings and public open spaces in Dundoogan, and will have a negative impact on the residential amenities, local environment and quality of life that they currently enjoy. They add that the housing estates are high density urban residential developments, which they believe are not a suitable location for an ‘edge of town’ wastewater solution.

They also say that the air-pollution generated by the toxic fumes of this type of waste water treatment plant are known to be a health hazard and a source of bio-aerosols and pathogenic bacteria which puts their health at risk.

2. Proposed Development contravenes the permitted Masterplan for Raynoldstown - the residents say that the subject site was masterplanned for a school for which there is high demand, as all the local schools are out of capacity. They add that the prospect of a school being provided in this location "seems unlikely in the next 5-10 years which will only make the existing lack of school spaces worse as more residential units are constructed and more families take up residence".

3. Piecemeal Development - the residents say that the original parent planning application included a provision for a community centre and school in a timely manner in line with good urban planning principals which they say does not appear to have been complied with. They say that the application for a waste water treatment plant is not in compliance with the original permitted masterplan and it is in contradiction of good urban planning principals for a compact sustainable settlement on zoned greenfield lands.

4. The Temporary nature description of the works proposed is misleading - the residents say in their petition that "the Engineer’s Report states that 2030 is the earliest that the public proposed connection could be completed which is a five years minimum duration of operation for this wastewater development and likely much longer during which the Applicant’s Company could have been dissolved or no longer in operation in the area, falling on Louth County Council to take these works in charge with the responsibility to manage them.

"We strongly request that this application is refused and that no more residential units are permitted in the area until the existing Blackrock Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade works are complete while the Raynoldstown Creche & Community accommodation is prioritised for delivery over any more dwellings."

5. Local Experience to date with unresolved planning compliance issues - the experience of the residents to date they say, "is that there are a number of ongoing local issues unresolved between the Applicant Groveview Builders Ltd. and Louth County Council and Uisce Eireann on foot of permitted applications that affect our residents day to day. The waste water treatment plant, if permitted, will have further significant negative impact on our residents and the wider area without a clear path to resolution as responsibility is unclear."

One Dundoogan resident told the Dundalk Democrat that the group has met with Cllr Shane McGuinness on the matter, and that they have learned that there are plans for more temporary waste water treatment plants planned to go up around Dundalk and in Blackrock. The resident said that they had been informed that there would be no smell from the plant but added that people who work on them say that there is "massive smells caused including when waste is being pumped out".

The group, as well as others who wish to make a submission on the development, have until Sunday 16 March to do so. A decision is due from Louth County Council on the planned development by 6 April.