Land deal to lay Shannon pipeline
A MAJOR obstacle to the multi-million euro plan to extract water from the River Shannon and pipe it to Dublin has been surmounted following a deal with farm organisations to acquire lands along the 170km route to lay the pipe.
The Irish Farmers Association and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association have reached agreement with Uisce Éireann on a voluntary land and wayleave package for farmers and landowners along the route of the pipeline.
It has been reported that impacted farmers and landowners are to benefit from an average payout of €100,000 each as part of the deal.
Baden Powell, the Chairman of the IFA in North Tipperary, said the deal was now there for farmers to consider. “I think it's a very good package. We fought hard to get the best deal we could possibly get for our members from Uisce Éireann and I think it’s a good deal.”
Uisce Éireann propose to pipe billions of gallons of water a day from the Parteen Basin, near Birdhill, to the capital in a project that is projected to cost up to €10 billion.
The route of the pipeline runs through vast swathes of farmland in North Tipperary and will mean a significant cash injection for all those farmers who accept the package.
The two farming organisations - traditionally regarded as powerful lobby groups and tough negotiators - announced the agreement with Uisce Éireann on the voluntary land and financial “wayleave package” last week.
It has been reported that the overall value of the package for the 500 farmers and landowners is in the region of €42 million.
CRITICISM
The announcement of the deal has been severely criticised by Nenagh Independent Councillor Séamie Morris who has urged the landowners to reject the deal. “I am appealing to landowners not to sign up these crazy deals for the few pieces of gold being offered to sell their communities down the Swanee.”
Cllr Morris said he would be meeting with organisations over the next few months to prepare a campaign of “substantial opposition” to the pipeline project. This would include an appeal against the project at European Union level.
He referred to the project as “environmental vandalism, which will destroy the ability of the Mid-West region to survive pumping its most important asset 170 kms into a region that has no water shortage but has a water management problem.”
The IFA and the ICMSA said the wayleave package contains four main elements - an early sign on payment; a wayleave payment; a crop loss and disturbance payment; and a special goodwill payment.
There are additional payments in the package for farmers who will have ancillary apparatus such as air valves, line valves, wash outs chambers and lay-bys on their land.
Farmers have the option of accepting this offer under the negotiated voluntary wayleave agreement with Uisce Ėireann or pursuing their claim through the relevant statutory processes, the two farming organisation stated.
The deadline date for the return of consent forms to Uisce Éireann has been extended from September 23 to October 7 to provide more time for farmers and landowners to consider the package and get the necessary advice.
In relation to concerns raised regarding the payment of VAT, the IFA and ICMSA say they have received an undertaking from Uisce Éireann, but are seeking further advice and guidance on the issue.
The organisations said that while farmers along the route will ultimately have a 20m wide wayleave corridor on their land, a 50m wide corridor will be required during the construction phase. “During pre-planning and until the project is complete, the full 50m wide corridor will be subject to the wayleave development restrictions. However, outside of the construction period, normal agriculture use of the corridor will not be affected.”
CONCERNS
The organisations voiced a number of concerns on behalf of their members: “Considering the significant delays in completing major state infrastructure projects, there is a real concern that farmers could be left in limbo for a long time.
“Given the availability of the permanent wayleave payment upfront for farmers under the package and the nature of the wayleave and easement required at an early stage by Úisce Éireann, the issue of protecting farmers from potential significant delays with planning or construction remained unresolved in the negotiations.
“However, the IFA and ICMSA will continue to work with Uisce Éireann for the duration of this project in order to protect the interests of farmers if this project is unduly delayed.”
Uisce Éireann said the agreement marked a significant milestone for the project in advance of the submission of a planning application to An Coimisiún Pleanála.
It said the compensation package includes upfront payments for impacted landowners. The deal reflected the scale and strategic importance of the project and aimed to mitigate the impact of construction and operation on agricultural land.
Mike Healy, Uisce Éireann Programme Director, said:“We would like to thank the IFA and ICMSA for their input and feedback in advance of our communications to landowners. The voluntary wayleave package issued has greatly benefited from the discussions and negotiations that took place between Uisce Éireann and the farm organisations. This is a major step towards the delivery of this essential infrastructure and follows months of collaborative engagement, and we look forward to further engaging with landowners and communities along
the route.”