‘Staggering’ amount of projects delayed over outdated system

The number of infrastructure projects being held up because of the state of the waste water system in Northern Ireland is “staggering”, according to SDLP MLA Mark Durkan.

He was speaking on BBC NI’s Sunday Politics days after the head of NI Water said the system was at “breaking point”.

Sara Venning made the comments to members of Stormont’s infrastructure committee and said the company had been asked to plan with a budget of “nearly half of what is needed”.

Mr Durkan called for the executive and minister to take action to deal with the “outdated infrastructure”.

Housebuilding in Northern Ireland fell to a 60-year low last year, partially due to restrictions on new connections to an underfunded water system.

Plans for an estimated 19,000 homes are being held up due to the restrictions – affecting construction in 23 towns.

“It’s been staggering, some of the stories we’ve heard from the construction industry, from architects, from agents and consultants,” Mr Durkan said.

“Increasingly though, it’s gone beyond those professional bodies into the wider public.

“They are seeing this, people actually looking to build extensions to their houses, people looking to make adaptations for family members with disabilities, they’re even encountering these difficulties due to the state of Northern Ireland water’s infrastructure and the state of their finances.”

In March, a report from the NI Audit Office (NIAO) said there should be a comprehensive expert review of how NI Water was funded and governed.

It said NI Water had struggled to secure adequate funding for infrastructure upgrades since it was established in 2007.

It added that the investment deficit could “profoundly affect” the ability of the executive to deliver its economic priorities.

The NIAO report found an agreed plan to spend £2.1bn on infrastructure between 2021 and 2027 might not be fully realised.

A spokesperson for NI Water has previously said the wastewater system is at capacity due to historical underinvestment.

It has said its current budget allocation from the Department for Infrastructure is less than levels the Utility Regulator determined necessary for both operating costs and capital investment.

As a result, it said: “We are working through a process of prioritising the asset investments that may progress. Inevitably, this means there is investment that has been planned that is now being deferred.”

Earlier this year, Stormont’s infrastructure minister, John O’Dowd, ruled out mutualising NI Water, saying it would inevitably mean household water bills.

Mutualisation would involve converting NI Water from a government company to one owned by its customers.