Residents of Kilkee, Co Clare, say they will continue to fight plans by Uisce Éireann to build a wastewater treatment plant in the coastal resort.
Over 150 people attended a public meeting in Kilkee, following the failure of a High Court challenge against the development earlier this summer.
Campaigners said they may have lost this judicial review but the challenge is not over and that they have now applied to the High Court, seeking leave to appeal its ruling directly to the Supreme Court.
The Kilkee cliff walk is a huge summer attraction in the town. Now, local residents say plans by Uisce Éireann to push ahead with a sewage treatment plant on a nearby site is “devastating”.
They say the failure of their judicial review challenge is a “setback” but that they’re determined to fight on.
Campaigners said they may have lost this judicial review but the challenge is not over
Ellie Byrne is one of the campaigners.
“You can see on a day like today, Kilkee in all its splendour,” she said.
“To see a place like this, it beggars belief that someone would think that this is the right place for a sewage treatment plant.
“There is such outrage locally, and among our very valued visitors and Limerick holiday home owners, that this plant, which Uisce Éireann are hoping to foist on us, just doesn’t make any sense on any level.
“This is not that Kilkee is anti-development. We’ve been calling for a proper sewage treatment plant for 30 years, longer in fact.
“They keep calling it a treatment plant. The solids will be taken away three times a week by truck, but the untreated sludge, which is still full of pathogens and diseases, is still going to be pumped out the same way. That is not progress.
“They also underestimated the population of Kilkee, which rises up to 20,000 during the summer. This plant will only cater for up to 7,000 people. So it’s doomed to fail. It’s obsolete from the outset.
“So while the judicial review was such a setback, it has just kind of cemented our determination that we are just not going to sit back and take this. There’s too much at stake.
“We had such a massive response to our GoFundMe campaign for our legal challenge and we’ll keep going. There are too many people outraged.”
The Kilkee cliff walk is a huge summer attraction in the town
Clare County Council had refused planning permission for the facility in October 2024 after receiving almost 90 objections. However, following an appeal by Uisce Éireann, that decision was overturned by An Coimisiún Pleanála
Local campaigner Martin Busher pointed out the raw sewage discharging from a pipe into the Atlantic Ocean.
“We’re standing here on one of the most beautiful cliff walks and just right behind me here is the discharge point which Uisce Éireann are say they are going to use to discharge waste from this plant,” he said.
“They’re going to filter for solids, and they’re going to remove grit and dirt and stones from the sewage, and then the rest untreated sewage is coming straight out here. It’s our belief that it’s grossly unsuitable for the environment and for tourism.”
Ellie Byrne is one of the campaigners
Uisce Éireann say their objective is to provide a modern treatment solution that protects water quality in the local marine environment.
In a statement, they said that “Uisce Éireann recognises and respects that there are differing views in relation to this development and looks forward to engaging openly, factually and constructively with local residents and key stakeholders in the coming months.
“This is a vital project to end the discharge of raw sewage at one of Ireland’s scenic locations.
“For the Kilkee project, the wastewater will undergo preliminary and primary treatment. Preliminary treatment consists of screening. It removes the large items such as rags, wipes and rubbish from the wastewater, and protects the downstream Wastewater Treatment Plant processes from damage.
“Primary treatment removes solids from wastewater by allowing them to settle in settlement tanks, with the resulting sludge sent for further treatment. The delivery of this project will eliminate the discharge of untreated wastewater into Intrinsic Bay.”
Mairéad Mason has a holiday home in Kilkee and is supporting the local plan of action
Mairéad Mason has a holiday home in Kilkee and is supporting the local plan of action.
“I’m shocked and appalled that anyone would think it was a good idea to pump raw sewage into the Atlantic Ocean,” she said.
“They call it a treatment plant but it’s no such thing. It’s a storage tank that’s going to smell. You can even get the odour in the air with the wind here today. This is a backward step. It’s not progress and it’s unthinkable what’s going to happen.”