"Future proofing" the town
The development of a new €10M wastewater treatment plant in Virginia, allied to the bypassing of the town, is expected to open the floodgates for a number of large-scale residential and industrial projects in the east Cavan town.
Cavan County Council has approved planning permission for the new facility, work on which is hoped to begin in Spring 2024. The upgrade of the town’s wastewater infrastructure by Uisce Éireann will double the existing plant’s current capacity and “future proof” the town.
The works on the treatment plant in Rathardum and pumping station off New Street are expected to take around 18 months to complete.
The long-awaited development forms part of Uisce Éireann’s utilities upgrade and improvement plan for the period from 2020-2024.
The permission provides for the upgrade of the Virginia Wastewater Treatment Plant off the N3 in the townland of Rathardum and the terminal pumping station off New Street.
The plans also include four buildings for operating equipment, below ground pump chambers, tanks and filters, an odour control unit, back-up generator, an ESB substation, decommissioning of old systems where appropriate, ancillary and associated development works including fencing, lighting and landscaping.
Uisce Éireann, formerly Irish Water, first lodged the plans in December 2022 but the local authority requested significant further information.
A number of technical reports and statements, as well as significant further information was submitted by Uisce Éireann as part of the planning process.
They include a Natura Impact Statement, archaeological screening assessment, waste management plan, tree survey, flood risk assessment, ecological risk assessment and proposed environmental measures among others.
Council planners have now granted permission with 19 conditions attached.
These conditions included Uisce Éireann’s agreement for EPA to review their water waste discharge licence after six months in the interest of public health and safety.
Uisce Éireann is also required to submit the final construction environmental management plan to the planning authority for approval.
Other conditions included environmental and geographical measures and protection of wildlife.
Fine Gael Councillor TP O’Reilly welcomed the development. “It will be bringing us up to nearly double the capacity of what is there already so it will future proof the development of the town for the next 20 years.”
Prior to the project’s approval, five submissions were made by third parties including Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Department of Housing and Peter Sweetman on behalf of Wild Ireland Defence.
Pottle Properties contended that the proposed upgrade works did not appear to be designed to receive wastewater from future development on the Pottle lands, which are zoned as residential, mixed use and other uses.
They contend the lands are “integral to the town’s future development including housing provision”.
The Pottle site in question extends to 64 acres, making it potentially the largest, single developed site in the history of the town of Virginia.
Previous planning permissions on these lands, they say, determined that a pumping station is required on Pottle lands to cater for any development.
Pottle Properties claim to have engaged “extensively” with Uisce Éireann since 2016 on the issue.
They deem it necessary that the future pumping station on the Pottle Lands would pump wastewater directly to the WWTP.
Kells Anglers in their submission welcomed the “long overdue upgrade” but expressed some concerns about the proposed development. They contended that the EPA licence for the plant needs to be amended to reflect proposed new ammonia emission limits before planning permission is issued.
The anglers point out that the plans are seven years in the making yet some specifications appear to have changed with further information submitted.
They contend Uisce Éireann are under “pressure” to deliver the upgrade.
“Cavan Coco, IW and the EPA would want to be very sure that this upgrade is fit for purpose. Six million euros is a lot of public money to spend on an upgrade that is not up to scratch before it is built,” said Ciaran O’Kelly on behalf of the anglers.
Capacity constraint
The lack of capacity at the existing plant has stunted the growth of Virginia in recent years. Developments as far back as 2017 have been blocked due to capacity constraints at the current plant. A 78-home development at The Drumlins was denied planning permission that year.
Among other developments blocked was a small, eight-house development earmarked for a site in the east Cavan town in 2020. Cavan County Council approved the plans but an appeal by Inland Fisheries Ireland over the potential environmental impact saw An Bord Pleanála reject it.
Hoping the news will resolve some of the issues, Cllr O’Reilly concluded: “It will mean that the town will be fit to grow. We are working with planning to see if we can secure planning with the build so that we’re not waiting for the build to be finished before they can get planning approvals across the line. So we could get planning approvals and not connect to the sewers until it’s done.”