Planning rules changed to streamline consents for Irish Water schemes
The Irish government has changed the planning regulations facing Irish Water in a move designed to streamline the consent process for new infrastructure like waste water and drinking water treatment plants.
This measure removes the obligation on Irish Water to acquire land prior to applying for planning permission. To date, Irish Water first had to get approval for a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the site, a timely and costly process, before applying for planning permission which may ultimately have been refused.
The new regulations enable Irish Water to apply for planning permission in respect of waste water treatment plants and other water related infrastructure on sites they do not yet own, and where it would be the company’s aim to compulsorily acquire the land if planning permission were subsequently granted.
The Department for Housing and Local Government, which is responsible for water policy, stressed that the new regulations do not pre-determine the outcome of either the planning or the CPO process.
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