Statutory Consents

In June 2018, Uisce Éireann submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála for the Greater Dublin Drainage project (the GDD Project), complete with an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS). The application was made under planning legislation that relates to Strategic Infrastructure Development. A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was also submitted for confirmation to An Bord Pleanála. 

The GDD planning application is available here. An Bord Pleanála then held statutory public consultation including an oral hearing.

In November 2019, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission and confirmed the CPO for the GDD Project. This planning permission was quashed following the issue of legal proceedings and a Court hearing. The planning application was subsequently remitted back to An Bord Pleanála by Order of the High Court on 16 July 2021 for a fresh decision (the Remittal Application). 

Following a request from the Board, and due to the passage of time that had elapsed since the original application was made, Uisce Éireann provided updated environmental assessments and information to the Board in October 2023 (the Addendum). This Addendum was the subject of public consultation between Tuesday, 7 May 2024 and Friday, 7 June 2024 where interested parties were invited to submit observations on its content. The GDD application is now being considered by the Board.

The planning application and Further Information, along with other material on the GDD Project, can be viewed and downloaded on the project website: www.gddapplication.ie.

All wastewater discharges from Uisce Éireann facilities require a wastewater discharge licence (WWDL) from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This licence is necessary to ensure compliance with Irish and EU legislation that regulate for the safe disposal of treated wastewater into the environment. This supports the GDD Project’s aims of protecting public health and safeguarding the environment. The EPA’s assessment of the WWDL application is separate from and in addition to the planning process.

As part of the overall GDD Project consenting process, Uisce Éireann applied to the EPA for a WWDL for the proposed catchment, the North Dublin Agglomeration, that will be served by the project. This is a key component needed to deliver the GDD Project. This WWDL will cover the discharge of treated effluent at the proposed discharge location, 1 km north-east of Ireland’s Eye, along with assessment of the existing network, including stormwater and emergency overflows.

Given the scale of the GDD Project and its significant catchment area, the application for a WWDL is supported by a full environmental impact assessment report (EIAR). All documentation in respect of the WWDL application is available on the EPA website. Interested parties may submit written observations or submissions in relation to the application for the WWDL licence or the accompanying EIAR to the EPA via its website, or at its headquarters at P.O. Box 3000, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co. Wexford.