I’m asking Mr Joseph Gilhooly, Deputy CEO, to explain the bad manner in which the Hartley Cartown GSS Committee has been treated over the past six years. The Committee members have done everything they have been asked to get their scheme moving towards completion, yet they were informed by a phone call, on 25th June last, that their scheme has been cancelled and the cost per house, of joining, has skyrocketed.
Minutes:
"I’m asking Mr Joseph Gilhooly, Deputy CEO, to explain the bad manner in which the Hartley Cartown GSS Committee has been treated over the past six years. The Committee members have done everything they have been asked to get their scheme moving towards completion, yet they were informed by a phone call, on 25th June last, that their scheme has been cancelled and the cost per house, of joining, has skyrocketed.”
Report by Roads - General
"Leitrim County Council would not at all accept that the Hartley Cartown GSS was dealt with in a bad manner. In fact, this Scheme was very well facilitated and updated throughout the process with any new information when received from the Department. The Part 8 Planning Approval process was delayed as there was an issue with acquiring the sites for the pumping stations, and further archaeological and ecological studies had to be completed.
The Part 8 Planning Approval was finally approved in January 2019. Following this, we requested the GSS’s Consultant Engineer to provide us with a detailed cost estimate for the scheme, based on his design (which had to be in compliance with Irish Water Standards). We eventually received this cost estimate in June 2019, which was €1,100,000 ex. vat for the site investigations and construction contract. In addition, the Design costs, Irish Water Connections costs, Archaeological and Ecological Report Costs brought the total estimated cost of the Scheme to €1.455 million – An estimated cost of almost €32,000 per house. After review we submitted these revised costings to the Department in June 2019. While the Department verbally indicated to us that the costings were very high, it was only on the 25th June, 2020 (after numerous communications with them), that they confirmed in writing that the maximum that they would fund would be €13,000 per house. We wrote to the Committee on the 6th July 2020 and outlined the response from the Department and the funding gap of approx. €19,000 per house. We requested that the Scheme consider the costings as now presented and consider whether it was feasible to progress with the Scheme having regard to the current estimated costs and the fact that the Scheme/Households would have to fund the shortfall between the estimated total cost of the Scheme (almost €32,000 per house) and the Grant available for the Scheme (€13,000 per house) – A shortfall of approx. €19,000 per house. We requested a response by July 24th. However, as we received no response, we contacted the Scheme by phone on the August 4th 2020. We issued a reminder letter to the Scheme on the 12th October 2020. We again contacted the Scheme on the 19th October 2020. Leitrim County Council still awaits the outcome of the Scheme’s deliberations on the future of this GSS as initially requested from the GSS on 6th July, 2020."
Councillor Guckian informed the meeting that this has been a long running issue. He gave a detailed background as to need for the GSS and referred to the experiences faced by householders/committee over the last six years. He said that he had sent a Freedom of Information request to the council seeking information from relevant files and was informed that the provision of such information would cost €142.00, he felt that this was an outrage. He informed the meeting that during the course of this process not less than 5 different engineers have been involved, each one putting forward new demands/proposals to the committee. The committee have done everything possible to meet each of these demands. Councillor Guckian contacted Irish Water directly and they informed him that they were not aware of this matter. They were of the understanding that this was a completely new scheme and not a connection to an existing one.
Councillor Armstrong McGuire said that this issue has been raised on a number of occasions. The situation is at a horrible stalemate and needs to be resolved. She called on the council officials to revisit this matter again with the Department and seek their help. She said that this scheme is vital as the houses are all along the River Shannon. She requested that the council keep the pressure on with regard to this matter. She commended the people of the area who have come together to form a committee to get this matter resolved.
Councillor McGowan also supported the motion. He commented that Hartley was one of two schemes which Leitrim County Council had secured funding for. Looking at the current figures he said that it was very unfair to go back to the residents and seek more money from them. He said that the government needs to adequately fund Irish Water to do the work and the Department should have to meet the shortfall to do the works, not the residents.
Councillor Stenson supported the motion. He said he is not sure if Irish Water is fit for purpose. They were set up to deal with issues such as this but they are not received adequate funding. He suggested to the meeting that someone “in the know” in Irish Water should come down, once Covid 19 restrictions allow, and address the members of Leitrim County Council to explain to the members what is possible and what is not.
He proposed that Carrick on Shannon Municipal District would call for a meeting with a representative of Irish Water to discuss the whole issue of Pilot Group Sewerage Schemes. There are a number of them needed in the county.
Councillor Farrell supported the motion and commented that council officials have tried their best to get this project across the line.
Councillor Guckian said a detailed investigation regarding all aspects of this situation needs to be carried out. He commented that Irish Water were not in command and have totally disowned it. When he contacted Irish Water he was told that this scheme was under the remit of Leitrim Rural Water Scheme and the Department. He believes that there is where we need to start to get answers.
Mr Gilhooly gave the members a background to the origins of the scheme and stated that putting it into context the scheme had started during a period of transition of Rural Water from local authorities to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Hartley was one of six schemes to be approved nationally. The current costings reflect the cost involved to bring the group sewerage scheme up to standards required by Irish Water standards in order for them to take it over.
Councillor Guckian said that there was a feeling of no great urgency to all of this. This situation cannot continue. He asked the council officials to go back to the committee and support them in getting the costs reduced and the scheme completed.
Mr Gilhooly responded that there was no issue with Leitrim County Council taking up the matter again with the Department. He said that he did not want to raise any expectations. He said that the staff of Leitrim County Council have worked very hard and have shown great persistence in dealing with the Department. He cautioned that the likelihood of a change was very remote. Things are at a stalemate with the Department. He said that he will use the request from today’s meeting to revisit this matter again with the Department.