Chapter 6: Utilities Infrastructure, Energy & Communication

UTL 01

New Development and Strategic Development Growth Areas

Ensure that new development across the urban and rural settlements of Waterford is infrastructure led in a manner which:

• Supports communities and economic growth and development,
• Enhances environmental quality,
• Complies with the tiered approach to land use zoning which underpins the Development Plan.
• Encourages and provides opportunities to improve and implement sustainable modes of travel.
• Integrates nature-based solutions and climate change considerations into the design, planning, and implementation of infrastructure provision/ works and development proposals.
• Incorporates green infrastructure to provide for carbon offset and carbon sinks and wider environmental benefits, including providing shade to alleviate heat stress, supporting urban biodiversity, water retention and flood alleviation.
• Promotes and integrates energy efficiency and low carbon technologies and solutions; and,
• Ensures sufficient heat density (e.g. compact growth) and diversity of connected heat loads (egg hospital, leisure centre, large retail, electricity production, industry) to facilitate the economic provision, viability and integration/ implementation of low carbon heating technologies in development proposals

UTL 02

Water Services

To collaborate support and work, in conjunction with Irish Water, to ensure the timely delivery and provision, extension and upgrading of existing and new high quality, climate resilient, water services infrastructure, in order to facilitate the sustainable growth and development of our City and County, in accordance with an ecosystem services and integrated catchment management approach, and the Development Plan Core and Settlement strategies.

UTL 03

Water Supply & Drinking Water Regulations    

We will collaborate with Irish Water in contributing towards compliance with the European Union (Drinking Water) Regulations Drinking Water Regulations 2014 (as amended) and compliance of water supplies with the parameters identified in these Regulations.

All new developments must be satisfactorily served by either a mains water supply, or by a private water supply. The preferred option will always be a public water supply and drainage solution. It will be the responsibility of the developer to demonstrate that any new supply is adequate to serve the proposed development and that for domestic use; it is safe to be consumed as drinking water. Groundwater abstractions must comply with EPA policies and guidelines.

UTL 04

Drinking Water Report for Public Water Supplies

In conjunction with Irish Water, we will have regard to the EPA 2020 publication “Drinking Water Report for Public Water Supplies 2019” (and any subsequent update) in the establishment and maintenance of water sources in the County.

UTL 05

EPA’s Remedial Action List

In conjunction with Irish Water, undertake recommendations made by the EPA arising from any failure to meet drinking water standards and any enlistment on the EPA’s Remedial Action List.

UTL 06

Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations

We will collaborate with Irish Water in contributing towards compliance with the relevant provisions of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Regulations 2001 and 2004 and the Wastewater Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007 as amended.

It is the Council’s preference that all new development connects to existing public wastewater treatment facilities without the need for upgrades being required to the facilities, and wastewater network connections are provided by the developer. Development will only be permitted in instances where there is sufficient capacity for appropriate collection, treatment and disposal (in compliance with the Water Framework Directive and River Basin Management Plan) of wastewater.

All new developments shall ensure that:

• A separate foul and surface water drainage system is provided - the discharge of additional surface water to existing combined (foul and surface water) sewers is prohibited in order to maximise the capacity of these collection systems for foul water.
• Where permitted, private wastewater treatment plants, are operated in compliance with:
  • 2021 Code of Practice for Domestic Wastewater Treatment Systems EPA, as may be amended.
  • EPA Wastewater Treatment Manuals – Treatment Systems for Small Communities, Business, Leisure Centres and Hotels (1999) and EPA Guidance on the Authorisation of Discharges to Groundwater (EPA 2011), as may be amended.

Where a connection to public drainage infrastructure is demonstrated to be unfeasible, and/ or is not available, alternative developer-provided infrastructure, developed in collaboration with the Local Authority or otherwise, may be required/ facilitated if it is satisfactorily demonstrated that disposal of foul water can be achieved without negative impacts on public health, amenity or the environment. The detailed design of any such alternative developer provided infrastructure to service new development within our settlements should meet the technical requirements of Irish Water and may be considered in the following order of priority preferences:

1. Where the proposed development exceeds the capacity of the existing treatment plant, the developer shall provide for the upgrade of the treatment plant and connection to the public network. This may be best achieved in settlements such as Lemybrien where the existing ICW can be extended as a low tech/low risk design solution. (Note from Table 6 Irish Water proposal to upgrade the WWTP in Lemybrien as part of the STVGP).
2. Where no existing public treatment system exists (certified or otherwise), the developer shall be responsible for developing a new ICW – preferably outside the respective settlement boundary. Such provision will involve the laying of a new network.
3. Where no, or inadequate, public waste-water treatment facilities exist, serviced sites may be supported. In such instances, serviced site developments on 0.20 hectares (½ acre) plots with individual treatment systems will be required as a temporary measure, until such time as waste-water facilities become available. The serviced sites should be designed to permit the subdivision of each of the 0.20 hectare plots into two 0.10 hectare sites once adequate services become available. The residual land can then be developed for additional serviced sites in the future. Risk and maintenance lie with the individual homeowner. Note: As per Section 5.3 of the Draft Water Services Guidelines for Planning Authorities, ‘Alternative solutions such as private wells or wastewater treatment plants should not generally be considered by planning authorities.

Planning permission may be granted on the condition that private drainage infrastructure may be used temporarily, with the requirement to connect to public drainage infrastructure when it becomes available.

UTL 07

Water Conservation

To require that developments incorporate demand management and water conservation measures such as rain water harvesting and grey water use, among all users, to minimise wastage of water supply, and as viable alternatives to attenuation, and to support Irish Water in implementing water conservation measures such as leakage reduction and network improvements.

UTL 08

Protection of Water Resources

To work together with Irish Water towards a common goal of protecting our drinking water sources. This will be achieved by:

• Supporting the preparation and implementation of Drinking Water Protection Plans by Irish Water, to protect sources of public water supply, in accordance with the requirements of the Water Framework Directive.
• Having regard to the EPA 2019 publication ‘Drinking Water Report for Public Water Supplies 2018’ (and any subsequent update) in the establishment and maintenance of water sources in the County in conjunction with Irish Water.
• Protecting both ground and surface water resources including taking account of the impacts of climate change, the cumulative impacts of septic tanks and waste water treatment systems, and to work with and support Irish Water to develop and implement Water Safety Plans to protect sources of public water supply and their contributing catchment.

UTL 09

Storm and Surface Water Management

To require the use of Nature Based Solutions and Sustainable Drainage Systems to minimise and limit the extent of hard surfacing and paving and require the use of SuDS measures to be incorporated in all new development (including roads and public realm works and extensions to existing developments).

Surface water drainage must be dealt with in a sustainable manner, in ways that promote its biodiversity value, and in ways that avoid pollution and flooding, through the use of an integrated SuDS (including integrated constructed wetlands), where appropriate. This includes runoff from major construction sites.

Development proposals shall be accompanied by a SuDS assessment, which includes details of run-off quantity and quality and impacts on habitat and water quality and shall demonstrate how runoff is captured as close to source as possible with subsequent slow release to the drainage system and watercourse, as well as the incorporation of appropriate measures to protect existing water bodies and remove pollutant materials. The detail of the assessment should be commensurate with the scale of the development proposed.

Storm/ surface water management and run-off design should be carried out in accordance with Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) standards such as:

• ‘The SuDS Manual “(CIRIA, 2015), “Sustainable Drainage: Design and Evaluation Guide” (McCloy Consulting & Robert Bray Associates).
• “Dublin Corporation Storm Water Management Policy Technical Guidelines”.
• “Greater Dublin Regional Code of Practice for Drainage Works” incorporating “Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, Volume 2, New Development” or any future updates; and
• The capacity and efficiency of the strategic road network drainage regimes in County Waterford will be safeguarded for national road drainage purposes.

• Nature-based Solutions to the Management of Rainwater and Surface Water Runoff in Urban Areas: Water Sensitive Urban Design Best Practice Interim Guidance Document 2022 (DHLG&H) and updates of same.

In all instances the use of Nature Based Solutions is preferred to engineered solutions.

UTL 10

Flooding/ SFRA

To reduce the risk of new development being affected by possible future flooding by:

• Avoiding development in areas at risk of flooding,
• Where possible, reducing the causes of flooding to and from existing and future development,
• Increase the application of SuDS such as permeable paving, bioretention/infiltration ponds, swales and Natural Water Retention Measures, and the identification of existing areas which may be suitable for temporary storage/overflow of water during heavy storms,
• Where development in floodplains cannot be avoided, taking a sequential approach to flood risk management based on avoidance, reduction, and adaptation to the risk; and,
• Ensuring that all proposals for development falling within Flood Zones A or B are consistent with the “The Planning System and Flood Risk Management –Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2009”, “Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act” (2021), and any amendment thereof, and the “Waterford Strategic Flood Risk Assessment” (2021) as included in Appendix 13.
• To support the making of Local Area Plan for larger urban centres we will prepare surface water management plans where adequate data exists to support their preparation. Where data is lacking, we will carry out a data review gap analysis and prepare conceptual surface water management plans as an initial step.
• We will support the development of new flood relief schemes by the OPW, in particular those at Aglish, Ballyduff and Dungarvan & Environs while protecting public investment in flood relief schemes as detailed in Section 4.4.3 of the SFRA (Appendix 13).

UTL 11

Flood Plains

To contribute towards the improvement and/or restoration of the natural flood risk management functions of flood plains subject to compliance with the environmental legislation and availability of resources, and ensure each flood risk management activity is examined to determine actions required to embed and provide for effective climate change adaptation as set out in the OPW Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan Flood Risk Management applicable at the time.

UTL 12

Energy Strategy/ Masterplan

Undertake a review/ update of the Waterford Renewable Energy Strategy during the lifetime of this Development Plan, in order to assist in creating evidence-based, realistic and costed pathways for Waterford to achieve its just transition to carbon emission reduction targets to 2030 and 2050.

In addition to comprising an update to the existing renewable energy context and technologies in Waterford, the review will chiefly comprise and provide an overall, integrated Energy Strategy/ Masterplan for Waterford, which takes into account (inter alia):

• A detailed and comprehensive energy assessment, incorporating a Spatial Energy Demand and Generation Analysis.
• Heat mapping which identifies areas for Strategic Energy Zones and District Heating (or other low carbon heating technologies) opportunities to support a just transition to clean energy and a circular economy.
• Identifying specific opportunities and projects, actions and targets associated with improved energy efficiency.
• Lessons learned from the Decarbonising Zone ‘living laboratory’, and the need to advance this concept across Waterford, in line with evolving climate policy and legislative requirements.
• The creation of a smarter local energy model, enabling a smarter, more coordinated approach to planning and meeting distinct local energy needs that will link with developments at the regional and national scale.

UTL 13

Renewable Energy

It is the policy of Waterford City and County Council to promote and facilitate a culture of adopting energy efficiency/ renewable energy technologies and energy conservation and seek to reduce dependency on fossil fuels thereby enhancing the environmental, social and economic benefits to Waterford City and County. It must also be recognised that other sources of electricity generation such as natural gas, particularly renewable and indigenous gas, will continue to have a role to play in the transition to a low carbon economy. As such, renewable energy developments may require support from such sources in times of high energy demand. This will be achieved by:

• Supporting the delivery of renewable energy to achieve the targets identified in Table 6.3 of the Development Plan.

• Facilitating and encouraging, where appropriate, proposals for renewable energy generation, transmission and distribution and ancillary support infrastructure facilities including the necessary infrastructure required for the development of offshore renewable energy developments developed fully in accordance with the Waterford Renewable Energy Strategy, the wind energy designation map (Appendix 2 of the RES), the Waterford Landscape and Seascape Character Assessment undertaken to inform this Development Plan, and the National Wind Energy Guidelines, or any subsequent update/ review of these
• The Council recognizes and supports the role that the County can play in facilitating the onshore infrastructure required for the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind farm developments. This infrastructure includes but is not limited to: construction facilities, storage and lay-down areas, cable landfalls, onshore cable routing to substations, port and harbour infrastructure and coastal operations and maintenance bases, as well as use, reuse or repowering of existing infrastructure where appropriate.
• The Wind Energy Designation Map and the Landscape and Seascape Character Assessment Map identify different landscape character areas and associated landscape sensitivities. These designations encompass the concept of buffers between areas of sensitivity which vary across the different landscape character types and their different locations. These buffers allow for a gradual change between contrasting landscape sensitivities and associated wind energy designations to be considered, as necessary, when determining any development proposal.

• Promote and encourage the use of renewable energy, and low carbon resources, namely solar photovoltaic, geothermal, heat pumps, district heating, solar thermal, hydro, tidal power, offshore and onshore wind, biomass as well as micro-generation among business, agriculture, education, health, and other sectors.
• Promoting, encouraging, ensuring, and facilitating community engagement, participation and implementation of/ in renewable energy projects.
• Implementing, including in the Council’s own activities and in the provision of services/ works, the use and integration of low carbon, renewable energy infrastructure and technologies.
• Supporting appropriate options for, and provision of, low carbon and renewable energy technologies and facilities, including the development and provision of district heating (and/ or other low carbon heating technologies); anaerobic digestion and the extraction of energy and other resources from sewerage sludge.

• The preparation and implementation of a Climate Action Plan (including adaptation and mitigation measures) for Waterford.
• To support in conjunction with other relevant agencies, wind energy initiatives, both onshore and offshore, and wave energy, and onshore grid connections and reinforcements to facilitate offshore renewable energy development when these are undertaken in an environmentally acceptable manner.

At initial design stage full consideration should be to reasonable alternatives and existing infrastructural assets. In this regard environmental assessments should address reasonable alternatives for the location of new energy developments, and where existing infrastructural assets such as sub-stations, power lines and roads already exist within proposed development areas, then such assets should be considered for sustainable use by the proposed development where the assets have capacity to absorb the new development.

All planning applications for Renewable Energy Projects such as wind farms and solar farms shall be accompanied by a Decommissioning and Restoration Plan (DRP) consistent with the Wind Energy Guidelines 2006 or any update thereof. Issues to be addressed shall include details of proposed restorative measures, the removal of above ground structures and equipment, the restoration of habitats, landscaping and/or reseeding roads etc.

UTL 14

Energy Developments & Human Health

Proposals for energy development should demonstrate that human health has been considered, including those relating to the topics of:

• Noise (including consistency with the World Health Organisation’s 2018 Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region developments must comply with the Wind Energy Development Guidelines (2006), or any subsequent update/ review of these),
• Shadow Flicker (for wind turbine developments, including detailed Shadow Flicker Study),
• Ground Conditions/Geology (including landslide and slope stability risk assessment),
• Air Quality; and,
• Water Quality.

UTL 15

Decarbonising Zones

To progress the implementation, projects and lessons learned arising from the Waterford Decarbonising Zone ‘learning laboratory’, in collaboration with various stakeholders,  in order to replicate such measures and initiatives throughout the city and county,  to assist in advancing the wider roll-out of the decarbonising zone concept across the local authority area, in line with evolving climate policy and legislative requirements.

UTL 16

ICT/ Communications

We will work in collaboration with service providers to deliver a more enhanced connectivity service experience in a way that protects our footway and road surfaces and delivers the economic and community benefits of technology. We will facilitate the continued provision of communication networks, smart infrastructure, broadband and appropriate telecommunications infrastructure and services, subject to environmental considerations, in order to contribute to economic growth, development, resilience and competitiveness. In considering proposals for such infrastructure and associated equipment, the following will be taken into account:

• The installation of the smallest suitable equipment to meet the technological requirements,
• Solutions to deliver shared telecommunication physical infrastructure in new development to facilitate multiple service providers at a non-exclusive basis and at economically sustainable cost to service providers and end users,
• Concealing or disguising masts, antennas, equipment housing and cable runs through design or camouflage techniques; or
• A description of the siting and design options explored and the reason for the chosen solution, details of the design, including height, materials and all components of the proposals,
• A landscaping and screen planting plan (if appropriate),
• An assessment of the cumulative effects of the development in combination with existing equipment in the area; and a visual impact assessment (if relevant).

Proposed development will be required to have regard to the “Telecommunications Antennae and Support Structures - Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 1996 and Circular Letter PL07/12” issued by the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government and to any subsequent amendments as may be issued.

UTL 17

Waste Services (Infrastructure & Management)

The Council will continue to promote and facilitate the principles of the circular economy in minimising waste going to landfill and maximise waste as a resource, with prevention, preparation for reuse, recycling and recovery prioritised in that order, over the disposal of waste. This will be assisted by:

• Promoting and facilitating high quality sustainable waste recovery and disposal infrastructure/ technology at appropriate locations in Waterford, subject to the protection of the amenities of the surrounding environment including European Sites, guidelines incorporated into the new Regional Waste Management Plan, the siting guidance ‘Waste Management Infrastructure – Guidance for Siting Waste Management Facilities’ that will be incorporated into the new National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy and in keeping with the EU waste hierarchy;
• Continuing to facilitate and promote the provision of civic amenity sites, including ‘bring centres’ for the purposes of providing a collection point for the recycling of domestic waste, subject to siting, location, compatibility with adjacent land uses and other relevant development management criteria.
• Requiring the facilitation of bring centres in larger retail developments.
• Requiring, where necessary, Project Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plans as part of applications for development in accordance with “Best Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of Waste Management Plans for Construction and Demolition Projects” (DoEHLG, 2006). Such plans should be submitted for developments above the thresholds stated in these guidelines, and as required by the Planning Authority.
• Ensuring all developments have adequate space to facilitate storage and segregation of waste arising from the development.

• Supporting the implementation of the Southern Region Waste Management Plan 2015-2021 (SRWMP) and any updates made thereto, including through the assessment of planning applications by reference to the SRWMP siting and development guidelines for waste infrastructure.

UTL 18

Heat Demand

Incorporation of the Irish District Energy Association (IrDEA) Heat Atlas into the Council’s GIS system in order to assist in matching land use and co-locating of proposed developments with a high heat demand, with sources of heat supply. The completed Irish heat atlas is available here^[9].

UTL 19

Undergrounding Cables

Where undergrounding of cables is being pursued, proposals should demonstrate that environmental impacts including the following are minimised:

• Habitat loss as a result of removal of field boundaries and hedgerows (right of way preparation) followed by topsoil stripping (to ensure machinery does not destroy soil structure and drainage properties).
• Short to medium term impacts on the landscape where, for example, hedgerows are encountered.
• Impacts on underground archaeology.
• Impacts on soil structure and drainage; and
• Impacts on surface waters as a result of sedimentation.

UTL 20

Waste Management Regulations and Closed Landfills

The Council shall continue to fulfil its duties under the Waste Management (certification of historic unlicensed waste disposal and recovery activity) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No 524 of 2008), including those in relation to the identification and registration of closed landfills.

UTL 21

Construction and Environmental Management Plan

Construction Environment Management Plans shall be prepared in advance of the construction of relevant projects and implemented throughout. Such plans shall incorporate relevant mitigation measures which have been integrated into the Plan and any lower tier Environmental Impact Statement or Appropriate Assessment. CEMPs typically provide details of intended construction practice for the proposed development, including:

1. location of the sites and materials compound(s) including area(s) identified for the storage of construction refuse.
2. location of areas for construction site offices and staff facilities.
3. details of site security fencing and hoardings.
4. details of on-site car parking facilities for site workers during the course of construction.
5. details of the timing and routing of construction traffic to and from the construction site and associated directional signage.
6. measures to obviate queuing of construction traffic on the adjoining road network.
7. measures to prevent the spillage or deposit of clay, rubble or other debris.
8. alternative arrangements to be put in place for pedestrians and vehicles in the case of the closure of any public right of way during the course of site development works.
1. details of appropriate mitigation measures for noise, dust and vibration, and monitoring of such levels.
10. containment of all construction-related fuel and oil within specially constructed bunds to ensure that fuel spillages are fully contained (such bunds shall be roofed to exclude rainwater).
11. disposal of construction/demolition waste and details of how it is proposed to manage excavated soil, including compliance with 'Best Practice Guidelines for the preparation of Resource Management Plans for Construction & Demolition Waste Projects' EPA: 2021, (or any final updates thereof).
50. a water and sediment management plan, providing for means to ensure that surface water runoff is controlled such that no silt or other pollutants enter local watercourses or drains.
1000. details of a water quality monitoring and sampling plan.
14. if peat is encountered - a peat storage, handling and reinstatement management plan.
15. measures adopted during construction to prevent the spread of invasive species (such as Japanese Knotweed).
16. appointment of an ecological clerk of works at site investigation, preparation and construction phases. and
17. details of appropriate mitigation measures for lighting specifically designed to minimise impacts to biodiversity, including bats.

UTL 22

Construction Wastes

We will safeguard the environment by seeking to ensure that residual waste is disposed of appropriately. All waste arising during construction will be managed and disposed of in a way that ensures the provisions of the Waste Management Acts and the Southern Waste Management Plan 2015-2021. 

UTL 23

Waste Minimisation

We support the minimisation of waste creation and promote a practice of reduce, reuse and recycle where possible.

UTL 24

Electricity Infrastructure

Subject to appropriate environmental assessment and compliance with the policy objectives and development management standards of the development plan, we will support and facilitate the development of a safe, secure and reliable supply of electricity, associated electricity networks and transmission infrastructure to serve existing and future demand.