A PLANNING application for the abstraction of water from the River Shannon to Dublin is expected to be declared invalid, a Limerick solicitor has claimed.
Environmental Trust Ireland (ETI) – a Limerick-based independent environmental protection organisation whose co-founder and president is local solicitor Michelle Hayes, of Hayes Solicitors Limerick – has submitted two objections to the plan.
Environmental Trust Ireland has now claimed that An Coimisún Pleanala will declare the plans by Uisce Éireann invalid as the water utility has allegedly not complied with mandatory statutory obligations.
Uisce Éireann is also seeking to run a 172 kilometre steel pipeline to carry water from the Parteen Basin near Birdhill, County Tipperary to a reservoir at Peamount , Co. Dublin.
In the ETI submission, Ms Hayes alleges that “Uisce Eireann has not complied with Article 19 of the Planning and Development Regulations”, claiming that the water utility “failed to erect any site notices in counties Limerick and Clare, although the application affects six counties, including Limerick and Clare”.
Ms Hayes said that “if An Coimisiun Pleanala do not reject the Uisce Éireann application, this will inevitably lead to judicial review proceedings, the only other mechanism to challenge unlawful developments”.
ETI is among a number of groups objecting to the plans, with the River Shannon Protection Alliance (RSPA), who claim the plan, if it goes ahead, will reduce water flow in Limerick to “a trickle.”
Limerick City and County Council will hold a special meeting about the plans today (Wednesday, March 4), in the Council Chamber in Dooradoyle.
It follows calls for the local authority to lodge a formal objection to the plans.
Responding to these claims, Uisce Éireann told the Limerick Post that they have “installed site notices based on an approach discussed with An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP)” and consider the planning application fully compliant with the Planning and Development Regulations as they relate to Strategic Infrastructure Development.”
Uisce Éireann have provided numerous briefings to Local Authorities and Council members along the project pipeline route, including Limerick City & County Council and we welcome the constructive feedback to date”, the spokesman added.
They go on to say that stakeholder engagement has been prioritised throughout the development of the project, and remain “committed to ongoing engagement with all  stakeholders throughout the planning and construction stages, including sports and recreational users around the Parteen Basin, as well as communities along the pipeline route.”
“To this end, we have appointed a dedicated project Community Liaison Officer and we are continuing to engage with communities and Lough Derg water users through a series of community engagement clinics.”