FAQs
An Bord Pleanála (the Board) granted planning permission for the GDD Project in November 2019. This planning permission was quashed following judicial review proceedings and the Court ordered that the planning application be sent back to the Board for a fresh decision to be made.
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 where interested parties were invited to submit observations on its content. The GDD application is now being considered by the Board.
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.
The GDD project has its origins in the findings of the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study (GDSDS) published in 2005.
This study took a high level view of the wastewater drainage and treatment requirements of the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) and its key findings were the subject of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (2008).
The GDSDS concluded that a new regional wastewater treatment facility and new orbital sewer (to intercept flows from the Ringsend catchment) is required in north Dublin with an outfall to the Irish Sea. This new wastewater infrastructure is necessary in addition to maximising the capacity of the existing wastewater treatment plants in the Greater Dublin Area.
The GDD Project was initiated by Fingal County Council in 2011 on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. Fingal brought the GDD Project through a rigorous alternative sites and routes assessment process and identified a preferred project solution.
The Project Team completed site selection in 2013 and identified that the best solution for the future development of wastewater treatment capacity in the wider Dublin region to be:
- an underground orbital sewer from Blanchardstown to Clonshaugh and two new pumping stations;
- a new wastewater treatment facility at Clonshagh (Clonshaugh);
- an outfall pipe from the wastewater treatment facility discharging to the Irish Sea.
Uisce Éireann carried out the environmental studies required to prepare a planning application for the GDD Project.
Uisce Éireann is working to ensure that the wastewater generated every day in our homes, schools and workplaces continues to receive the proper treatment - supporting the sustainable growth of our communities and protecting our environment.
The Greater Dublin Drainage Project is the key to unlocking the wastewater capacity constraints within the Greater Dublin Drainage through the transfer of loads from the north and west of the catchment to the new GDD WWTP and resultant release of capacity at Ringsend for growth in the remaining areas of the Ringsend catchment.
Meeting wastewater demand and maintaining compliance in the Greater Dublin Area pending the delivery of GDD remains a challenge. We are working to upgrade all of our wastewater treatment plants to their maximum capacities. This includes investing over €500 million to upgrade Ringsend WWTP, to provide treatment for the population equivalent of 2.4 million people by the end of 2025.
Key network upgrades and interventions are also being progressed across the Greater Dublin Area to maximise the capacity of the existing network. Uisce Éireann is investing a further €150 million between 2022 and 2030 to deliver these tactical interventions.
These interventions are necessary to maintain service but will neither provide the resilience needed or cater for economic and population growth in the long term.
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.
As part of the overall GDD Project consenting process, Uisce Éireann applied to the EPA for a WWDL for the proposed catchment area to be served by the GDD Project. The proposed catchment is called the North Dublin Agglomeration. The WWDL application for the GDD Project covers the discharge of treated effluent at the proposed discharge location, 1 km north-east of Ireland’s Eye, along with assessments of the existing network, including existing stormwater and emergency overflows.
The EPA’s assessment of the WWDL application is separate from and in addition to the planning process.
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).
Preventative design, monitoring and incident response measures have also been embedded into the project design to mitigate against unintended discharges into the environment.
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.
The planning application and Further Information, along with other material on the GDD Project, may be viewed or downloaded from www.gddapplication.ie.
Hard copies of the planning application and Further Information are available for inspection free.
On 20 June 2018, Uisce Éireann submitted a planning application to An Bord Pleanála for 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 Developments. A Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) was also submitted. An Bord Pleanála then held statutory public consultation including an oral hearing.
On 13 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.
An Bord Pleanála subsequently wrote to Uisce Éireann in August 2022 providing Uisce Éireann the opportunity to update, where appropriate, the EIAR and NIS and any other information submitted.
In October 2023, Uisce Éireann submitted the Further Information in response to that correspondence. As directed by An Bord Pleanála, in the preparation of the Further Information, Uisce Éireann and its technical advisors have considered the extent to which each of the technical chapters of the EIAR and the NIS are required to be updated, having particular regard to:
- Changes to the baseline environment;
- The requirement for updated surveys; and
- Changes to the law, policy, and industry standards and guidance in the intervening period.
This Further Information was the subject of public consultation where interested parties were invited to submit observations on its content in summer 2024. The GDD application is now being considered by An Bord Pleanála.
As part of the overall GDD Project consenting process, Uisce Éireann applied to the EPA for a wastewater discharge licence (WWDL). The WWDL application is for the proposed catchment, the North Dublin Agglomeration, that will be served by the project. It is separate from and in addition to the planning process. The WWDL is a key component needed to deliver the GDD Project.
An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) is an analysis of the likely effects that a proposed development may have on the environment. This includes any likely effects on people, flora, fauna, soil, water, air, landscape and cultural heritage. The EIAR also includes a non-technical summary.
The EIAR is prepared by the project developer, Uisce Éireann in this case, to inform the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and is submitted to the planning authority for evaluation along with the planning application documents.
Changes to the baseline environment and the requirement for updated surveys have been considered in the Further Information submitted to the Board to ensure the EIAR is up-to-date, accurate and robust.
Amendments to the original EIAR submitted in 2018 can be viewed alongside the Further Information submitted here.
The Environmental Impact Assessment Report can be viewed at www.gddapplication.ie. The planning, statutory and environmental documents are available to view and download from this website.
Uisce Éireann has reviewed and considered more than 34,500 submissions which have been made to the GDD project team since 2011.
As part of the planning documentation, Uisce Éireann published the GDD Public and Stakeholder Participation Report which documents the previous consultations and engagement and how public feedback has informed the development of the GDD project.
Uisce Éireann wishes to thank the individuals and organisations that have engaged with the GDD project to date. The GDD Public and Stakeholder Participation Report is available to view with the planning documentation and online at www.gddapplication.ie
A CPO is a legal function that allows certain statutory bodies which need to take land or property to do so without the consent of the owner. The compulsory acquisition of land takes place in Ireland to allow a public infrastructure project to go ahead for the common good.
Uisce Éireann has made a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) in respect of the land, permanent wayleaves, temporary working areas and rights of way required to facilitate the Greater Dublin Drainage project.
On 13 November 2019, An Bord Pleanála granted the Compulsory Purchase Order for the GDD project. Please click here to view the Compulsory Purchase Order decision. Notices to Treat were issued to all affected landowners in September 2021.
Once all development consents are approved, construction of the GDD wastewater treatment plant and associated orbital sewer, marine outfall and pumping station is estimated to take three years.
Uisce Éireann is working to upgrade the Ringsend wastewater treatment plant. Together, these projects are needed to provide adequate wastewater treatment to serve the greater Dublin area to 2050. GDD will provide the additional treatment capacity required.
Uisce Éireann is working to ensure that the wastewater generated every day in our homes, schools and workplaces continues to receive the proper treatment - supporting the sustainable growth of our communities and protecting our environment.
Yes. A community benefit scheme for the Greater Dublin Drainage project is proposed in order to leverage and maximise benefits for local communities in proximity to the proposed infrastructure. The scheme will deliver benefits under three main themes: Employment, Education and Environment.
The GDD Community Benefits Scheme forms part of the planning documentation at www.gddapplication.ie