Plan for Portrane sewage plant shelved

Plans to locate a €140 million regional sewage plant at Portrane in north Dublin have been shelved by a new environmental report for Fingal County Council.

The proposed plant would have had the capacity to process the waste of 850,000 people across the Dublin region, and would have been second in size only to the waste-water treatment works in Ringsend.

Portrane had been identified in the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, commissioned by the seven local authorities in the Greater Dublin Area, as the preferred site for the new municipal sewage plant to satisfy the region's growing needs.

However, in November 2005 Fingal councillors voted to reject the plan, and ordered that the strategic drainage study be reviewed.

Consultants Mott MacDonald Pettit and ERM were appointed a year later to conduct a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the report.

They identified 16 options for dealing with the waste, and have now recommended that the plant be located in the "northern Greater Dublin Area" but not necessarily at Portrane.

The consultants have not ruled out Portrane, but said its selection was "premature" and that an "alternative options assessment process" should have been conducted. They recommend that a "robust identification of a suitable site, pipeline routes and outfall options" be conducted.

Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin North Darragh O'Brien yesterday welcomed the news that Portrane was no longer the preferred option. However, he said he did not want a large sewage plant to be developed in north Dublin.

"Super sewage plants are not the answer, in my opinion. It would be a lot more effective if there were a number of smaller plants to serve a given area, which, for example, is in place and working well in Malahide."

Labour Senator Brendan Ryan said he favoured small sewage plants, and was anxious to see what alternative proposal would emerge from Fingal County Council.

"Although I am delighted that the sewage plant is not going to be foisted on my former home place, Portrane, I am committed to ensuring that no such massive regional treatment plant is visited on any other community in Dublin North.

The report has been released for public consultation until November 30th. Information meetings will be organised by the four Dublin local authorities.