Calls for major investment in water infrastructure at Derry & Strabane Council meeting

At a Governance and Strategic Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday, March 5, NI Water’s Head of Investment Management, Asset Delivery Directorate, Dr Stephen Blockwell, said the company had “returned £1 billion to the public purse” since its inception in 2007.

“We’re in the top five in Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies,” Dr Blockwell added. “But profits do not provide NI Water with any additional spending power.

“The level we can invest in Northern Ireland’s water and waste infrastructure is not based on its finance but is set according to what the Government can afford, and there is a long legacy of under-investment in water and waste water services.

“Our shareholder [The Department for Infrastructure] has asked us to plan for a potential reduction of over £900 million, which is a reasonable worst case scenario.

“We have to deliver on key priority areas such as maintenance, treatment, and management. There’s likely to be a significant impact on new network treatment plans, and upgrades to support the economy and environment are at risk of not proceeding.

“The legacy of under-funding in Northern Ireland’s waste water system has finally caught up with us all.”

He added that he was hopeful NI Water could rely on the council “to support and continue to lend its voice to the call for continued investment”.

Sinn Féin Councillor Christopher Jackson said residents “take it for granted we turn on our taps and have clean, safe drinking water”, but water services need work and can impact other investment opportunities.

“We all know the infrastructure is severely under-invested as demonstrated by work needed on Foyle Street,” Colr. Jackson said.“It shows the decades of neglect the sewage infrastructure has experienced in this part of the World.

“We’re in the midst of a housing crisis, and it’s deeply frustrating when you see housing developments refused because there’s no capacity within the [water] network.

“We can’t afford to continue as-is, because the housing crisis is only going to continue to grow.

“There’s a need for investment and a need to grow the economy and when you see the impact it’s having on commercial and industrial applications, it evidences the need for investment in our sewer and drainage infrastructure.”

Andrew Balfour,

Local Democracy Reporter.