Irish Water given green light for Rathmullan treatment plant despite appeal

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for a wastewater treatment plant near Rathmullan after rejecting an appeal from local residents.

The board upheld Donegal County Council’s decision to grant planning permission to Irish Water for the plant which will treat waste from Ramelton, Milford and Rathmullan.

The Ray Action Group had appealed the decision to grant planning permission for the plant at Tirroddy.

In the appeal, the group said the plant would have no benefit to the people of the wider Ray community as the local community must construct and service and pay for their own septic tanks and treatment of their own sewage.

The group also expressed concerns that the proposed development would negatively impact on property prices in the area and that open-air tanks would impact on the amenity of the closest dwellings.

The residents expressed concerns over the impact on air quality and the health of staff and students at Brownknowe National School, which is 500 metres from the proposed wastewater treatment plant.

They also expressed concerns that the outfall pipe, which will involve boring into mudflats, could impact on bird populations and that the proposed outfall pipe will discharge partially treated and sometimes raw sewage into Lough Swilly.

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Donegal County Council responded that not permitting the plant would result in the continued discharge of untreated wastewater to the Leannan Estuary at Ramelton and the Swilly Estuary at Rathmullan as well as the continued use of the “non-compliant and overloaded wastewater treatment plant at Milford”.

In its submission, Irish Water said the wastewater treatment plant has been designed to ensure that there will be no odour or noise nuisance beyond the boundary of the wastewater treatment plant and therefore would not impact on the school. 

'Strategic advantages'

It said the selected site has many strategic advantages as the plant will treat wastewater from the three communities of Ramelton, Milford and Rathmullen at a single location.

An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission with 21 conditions ruling that the development constitutes necessary infrastructure needed to address the problem of untreated sewage being discharged into Lough Swilly,  contrary to EU urban wastewater treatment directives.

It said the provision of a wastewater treatment plant would result in a higher quality of effluent being discharged into Lough Swilly which would be beneficial to the environment.