Dublin Chamber has welcomed the news today that An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for Irish Water’s Greater Dublin Drainage (GDD) project in North Dublin.

Dublin Chamber, which represents 1,300 businesses in the Dublin region, said the project is a key deliverable under Project Ireland 2040 and will help support the growth of Dublin over the coming decades.

The CSO forecasts that the population of Dublin will grow by more than 400,000 between now and 2036, bringing increased pressure on the region’s services and infrastructure.

According to Dublin Chamber CEO Mary Rose Burke: “The Greater Dublin Drainage Project is a vital piece of infrastructure for the city. Water security, and indeed wastewater infrastructure, is critical to citizens and businesses in the Dublin region, but both systems are currently running at full capacity. Delivering the Greater Dublin Drainage project is a step in the right direction towards Dublin having the kind of reliable water infrastructure that is the norm in major cities around the world. The past few weeks – which have seen 600,000 Dubliners subjected to boil water notices – are evidence of the need to invest significantly in the city’s ailing water infrastructure.”

Dublin Chamber has expressed hope that the approval of the Greater Dublin Drainage project will be followed soon by progress on the Eastern and Midlands Regional Water Supply Project – a piece of infrastructure which Dublin Chamber says will secure Dublin’s water supply for the next 100 years. 

Ms Burke said: “The Dublin region needs to have a world-class sustainable infrastructure capable of meeting the economic and social needs of the existing and future populations. The coming decades will see the population of Dublin grow by more than one third, a figure which highlights the increased pressure that’s set to land on infrastructure that is already under severe pressure. Delivering the Greater Dublin Drainage and the Water Supply Projects will allow for the delivery of the tens of thousands of new homes that we need to be delivered in Dublin. Dubliners and the city’s business cannot afford further delays.”