Biggest single impediment to building houses in Leitirm is the "behaviour of Irish Water"

A Letirim councillor didn't hold back when he stated that the biggest single impediment to building houses in Leitirm is the "behaviour of Irish Water" at a recent Ballinamore municipal meeting. 

Cllr Paddy O'Rourke continued that the "price of sewerage and water connections" was the issue in his view and that "a few large contractors have a monopoly and are not compelled to compete for work. One family here in Leitrim has an estimate of €150,000 to connect their home to the network."

Referring to legislation that the management of urban wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure being transferred from local authorities to Irish Water in 2014, he said it was "slipped in in April 2014 when everybody's attention was on local or European elections."

He spoke of another Leitrim case where "a contractor gave an estimate- it was only a few metres to connect to a sewer- of €24,000 and he couldn't award to him because he wasn't on the so-called list and those who were on the list charged him €80,000."

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Cllr Enda McGloin said: "In Drumshanbo, we're trying to open the second food hub on the Dowra Road and they are very anxious to move in and have their equipment ready to go. We are waiting on a water connection and despite the fact there is already water in it, they wanted €35,000. Then they asked for a sample of the current outflow from the company which is trading beside the distillery in the first food hub. They want two or three weeks of samples. The first food huv has been there for the last 15 years and has caused no problems."

Cllr McGloin said they are "humming and hawing and coming back and forth and it's hugely vexing for the water company to act like this and it's been brought to the attention of the Minister for Enterprise."