LAST UPDATE | 4 Nov

UISCE ÉIREANN WILL be forced to facilitate wastewater infrastructure built by private housing developers under plans being brought to Cabinet this morning.

Tánaiste Simon Harris said today that installing the infrastructure was not a “sensible” use of Uisce Éireann’s time in Ireland small villages and that local builders were needed to fill in the gaps. 

The move, which is being brought forward by Housing Minister James Browne, is an effort to speed up the delivery of rural housing, where this issue has been seen as a major blockage in developing smaller pockets of land suitable for housing.

Under the proposal, the utility would have to assume responsibility for “securing compliance with wastewater discharge regulations” with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and would enter into agreements to take ownership of the infrastructure for its future operation and maintenance.

This means that once a housing developer delivers a wastewater system on site and it is approved by the EPA, Uisce Éireann would have to take it over. 

The Journal understands the change is expected to be in place by the end of February 2026.

Minister Browne intends to expand “at pace” the possibilities for the private sector to do more in this space and for agencies to “step up in response and make it work”.

Speaking to reporters today ahead of a Cabinet meeting, Browne said it was “crucial” to facilitate local developers’ involvement in providing wastewater infrastructure. 

Asked if the government could be confident in the use of private builders, given past scandals like the use of pyrite in construction which left the government on the hook for a compensation scheme, Browne said it was important to learn from the past.

He said that installations will have to meet Environmental Protection Agency and Uisce Éireann standards. The pipes will also be taken over by Uisce Éireann once they are installed, he said. 

“We’ve seen in recent years that new regulations have helped to ensure that builders are building to standard.” 

Responding to the same question today, Simon Harris said:

“Just because some governments in the past got this badly wrong, it’s not a reason that we don’t try and get things right now.”

Harris said there were too many townlands and villages in Ireland “where housing hasn’t been possible”.

“It’s not a sensible use of Irish Water’s time or resources, therefore it makes sense to empower the builder to put in that infrastructure, obviously to Irish Water standards.”

Meanwhile, it is also understood that Uisce Éireann has been told to immediately liaise with suppliers on the development of a standardised modular plant that can be bolted on to existing conventional Uisce Éireann plants.

It’s hoped that this will alleviate capacity constraints in areas that are already served by Uisce Éireann, but which require treatment plant upgrades to facilitate increased housing supply.

Elsewhere, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers updated the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure yesterday on work being done to fast-track infrastructure delivery and remove barriers.

Proposals being considered include examining legal fee structures and exploring ways to limit who can take judicial reviews, i.e. to those directly impacted by proposed capital projects.

A report is due to be published by the government next month which will outline the measures to be implemented. 

With reporting from David Mac Redmond