Northern Ireland government launches £1.4bn wastewater strategy for Belfast

Northern Ireland infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon has launched a blueprint setting out a £1.4 billion spend on upgrading Belfast’s creaking wastewater infrastructure over the next 12 years.

The strategy, called the Living With Water Programme (LWWP), is designed deliver a long-term approach to drainage and wastewater management in the capital that will protect it from flooding, provide a cleaner environment and ensure the city can provide more new homes and employment. Currently In some areas of greater Belfast development is stalled because wastewater facilities are either at, or above, capacity.

The programme has been five years in gestation and involved input from NI Water, regulators, the city council, government departments, and other partners. Mallon said: “This is not an inexpensive or quick fix, but it’s an essential fix. It’s critical to our environment and it’s also critical if we are to unlock our development capacity right across Northern Ireland.”

Historically there has been chronic under-investment in Northern Ireland’s water services. The minister faces a tough political battle to ensure publicly-owned NI Water has the resources to deliver the plan.

NI Water’s Paddy Brow, who led the utility’s team working on the strategy, insisted: “This marks the start of the delivery phase. “ We have over 50 engineers working full time to deliver the construction works which will include upgrading six wastewater treatment works and their sea outfalls, replacing pumping stations, building new tunnels, and upgrading pipelines and sewers across the area”.