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Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, today (26 June 2023) announced allocations under the multi-annual capital investment programme for the progressive resolution of “developer provided water services infrastructure” (DPI) in housing estates to enable the taking in charge of these estate.
Housing estates with "developer provided water services infrastructure", are estates that are not taken-in-charge and do not have their water services connected to the public (Uisce Éireann) network.
The multi-annual funding programme was introduced in 2019 to facilitate the progressive resolution in a sustainable manner of the DPI in estates to support the taking-in-charge of the estate.
The funding now being announced under multi-annual programme is in line with the funding ear marked in the National Development Plan to assist in resolving the DPI in these estates in a sustainable manner over time.
Following consideration by an Expert Panel, the Minister today approved funding amounting to just under €14.72 million to 9 local authorities for 21 projects providing water services to over 850 households.
This includes funding:
Speaking on the allocations Minister O’Brien said:
“I am glad that this multi-annual programme, run by my department, is continuing the process of helping the many families who are living in residential estates that are dependent on DPI for their water services.
“Many residents of DPI estates have made a major financial commitment in buying their homes but have been dependent on sub-standard developer provided wastewater or drinking water treatment plants for their water services.
"Through this investment Government are ensuring that public elements of estates such as the provision of roads, open spaces, car parks, and service connections are completed to the satisfactory standard and maintained thereafter by the appropriate authority.
"My department is currently conducting a survey to identify additional estates where a sustainable solution can be developed to enable the taking in charge of estates with DPI. Today’s announcement represents another significant step in resolving these problems. My department is continuing to engage with local authorities to develop sustainable solution to estates with DPI to enable the taking in charge of these estates.”
Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme - Funding announcement June 2023
Residential developments consisting of two or more dwellings that have been granted planning permission under the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended, are normally eligible for taking-in-charge.
The taking-in-charge of residential estates by planning/local authorities, that is, the City and County Councils is provided for under section 180 of the Act.
The planning authority is obliged to initiate taking-in-charge procedures where requested by either the developer of the estate or by the majority of owners of the dwellings in the estate. However, this is subject to the development being completed to the satisfaction of the authority and in accordance with the planning permission(s) and any attached conditions.
Residential estates normally receive their water services – drinking water supply and disposal of wastewater – from the public (Uisce Éireann) network.
However, a subset of estates, that are not taken-in-charge, do not have their water services networks connected to the public (Uisce Éireann) network. Instead these estates rely on ‘developer provided water services infrastructure’ for their water services. This infrastructure, provided by the developer of the estate, is more commonly called DPI.
DPI estates are predominantly small estates. Just over 50% of the DPI estates are in estates of 10 or less homes. Nearly 75% of homes is reached before the estates size exceed 20 houses.
In 2019 the Minister of Housing Planning and Local Government announced the commencement of a new investment programme – the Multi-Annual Developer Provided Water Services Infrastructure Resolution Programme to facilitate the progressive resolution in a sustainable manner of the DPI element of water services to support the taking-in-charge of the estate.
The focus of the multi-annual programme is on the DPI component of the small subset of estates that are dependent on this form of water services infrastructure for the provision of the water services. Funding associated with the taking-in-charge of non DPI estates remains fully a matter for the planning/local authorities.
The DPI infrastructure consists mostly of waste water treatment facilities but a small number consist of drinking water services for the estate. They are privately owned facilities.
The majority of DPI estates were constructed in the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s. They are a legacy issue from the two antagonistic economic upturn and downturn features of the Irish economy of the past three decades. By mid-2010 there was a significant backlog of estates awaiting taking-in-charge.