Renewed calls for action on sewage treatment plant causing ‘pollution’ in Churchill

Renewed calls have been made for Donegal County Council to take action on a sewage treatment plant in Churchill.

Previous motions on the treatment plant in the Pines in Churchill have been brought before the council.

At a recent meeting of Letterkenny-Milford MD, Cllr Michael McBride asked the council to acquire the treatment plant by Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). He told councillors that the situation is “a matter of urgency”.

Cllr McBride said he had been speaking with a farmer in the Churchill area, who shared concerns about the “pollution stream” coming from the plant.

He also attributed falling school numbers in the area to the treatment plant.

“We have to be decisive, we have to make a move,” said Cllr Bride. “A CPO would be the first step moving forward. This would have big implications for the village.”

Cllr Tomás Seán Devine seconded the motion.

Eamonn Brown, Community and Planning, informed Cllr McBride that purchasing the property is not an option as the land is in registered ownership of a limited company which went into liquidation and has been dissolved since 2010.

However, he added: “The Council are engaging with the Chief State Solicitor’s Office in relation to ownership of this parcel of land, especially with reference to Section 28(2) of the State Property Act 1954 which provides that all land vested in a body corporate which is dissolved shall become and be the property of the State. 

“The aim is to obtain legal ownership for the Council so that a resolution to the waste water treatment issues can be arrived at in collaboration with the owners of the properties at The Pines and Uisce Éireann.

“The Council are engaging with Uisce Éireann on carrying out a full review of the DPI infrastructure in the County with a view to finding resolutions and The Pines in Churchill is part of that review.

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“It should also be noted that it was a requirement of the Planning Permission for the houses at The Pines, Churchill, that a management company was to be set up to ensure regular maintenance of the sewage treatment system and that the owners of the individual properties were to be obliged to buy in to said management company. As such, responsibility for maintenance of the treatment plant rests with the residents’ management company.”