Regional Biosolids Facility, Dublin

We were appointed by Irish Water to take the Regional Bio-Solids facility (RBSF) through planning. The RBSF is the sludge storage facility for both Ringsend WWTP and the proposed GDD WWTP.  The RBSF project incorporates the following facilities:

• Demolition of existing buildings/site infrastructure;
• Design and construction of two biosolids storage buildings;
• Solar panels on the roof of one building;
• Administration and welfare building with staff parking;
• Internal roads, weighbridges;
• Odour control units with ventilation stacks; and
• Site services, including electricity supply substation.

As the RBSF and the Ringsend WWTP upgrade project are dependent on each other, and in accordance with the Environmental legislation, the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and associated planning incorporated both sites.

The Environmental Impact Assessment process comprised the following stages:

• Initial consideration of the Impact Assessment Requirements resulting in a Scoping Report.
• Scoping consultation with key stakeholders and the general public.
• Coordination with multiple Local Authorities.
• Procurement and coordination of all environmental subconsultants including ecology, archaeology, water quality, traffic, landscape and visual, human health, odour, air quality, noise etc.
• Coordination with the Design Teams, obtaining layouts/drawings, data, design assumptions, constructability assessments etc
• Data gathering and field surveys.
• Client consultation and agreement on scoping exercise for the purposes of the environmental impact assessment.
• Final report detailing the Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed changes to the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant and RBSF.

Through pre-planning consultation with An Bord Pleanála it was determined that the application would be a Strategic Infrastructure Development and should be submitted under section 37E of the Planning and Development Act. During the contract, two amendments were made to the existing 2012 approval for the WwTP through applications to ABP under section 146B of the Planning and Development Act.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out by a team of in-house and subconsultant specialists and the resulting EIA Report accompanied the 37E application.

An Appropriate Assessment Screening report and Natura Impact Statement were prepared in conjunction with Natura Consultants. The purpose of the report was to provide the information required to enable the Competent Authority (ABP) to undertake an Appropriate Assessment of the project in accordance Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive (92/42/EEC). It provided a focused assessment of the likely effects of the development on the Natura 2000 sites in Dublin Bay and neighbouring coasts.  The EIAR and Planning application was submitted in June 2018 and following clarifications the decision to Grant Planning was provided in April 2019 without the need for an oral hearing.  This was a significant achievement given the scope and scale of the project.