Residents of Chapel View in Stoneyford are furious that both the developer of their estate and Kilkenny County Council have refused to accept that the water service serving their homes is inadequate and not fit for human consumption.
They held a meeting on Wednesday night last in light of a recent attempt by the developer, GBM Construction Ltd to cut off the electricity to the water pump serving the residences, which would have left the homes in the estate without water before Christmas.
Following the meeting of the residents’ association the occupants of the 36 homes in the development said they are not unwilling to take over the management of Chapel View as the developers have stated, but that they are clearly not in a position to do so at this point for several reasons.
In a statement from the residents yesterday they said that the existing water system is on the land of a third party and the residents have no legal right of access to the pump house.
They also pointed out that the current water supply was not exclusive to the residents of Chapel View as was originally expected, but it also serves third parties including three houses, a cafe, a food production business, a shop, and a farm.
The residents are also very concerned that a water treatment system such as ultra violet disinfection and chlorination are not in operation.
Speaking to the Kilkenny Advertiser, director of water services at Kilkenny County Council John Mc Cormack said that the water had been tested on several occasions but most recently in April 2011 where there was no detection of E coli or other dangerous bacteria. Mr McCormack said that the only bacteria detected was coliform bacteria.
"This dispute is really an issue that needs to be sorted out between the developers and the residents, as the council has little involvement other than to ensure that the planning regulations are being enforced. For us this means that the private water supply is being maintained by the management company which includes members from the estate, but the developers have informed us that the residents are refusing to engage regarding the establishment of the management company. However, this is part of their legal agreement signed when they first bought their homes," he said.
Planning permission for the estate was received in 2002 with a private water supply proposed, as the local authority group water scheme in the area was already considered inadequate.
“There is little prospect of this estate being connected to a group scheme in the foreseeable future, although we may indeed take the estate in charge for other services, but this would not include the water services,” said Mr McCormack. “The funds are simply not there to upgrade the water services in the area at this time. The residents will be responsible for the water to their homes as per their agreement on buying the property," he added.
In the meantime, GMB Construction Ltd ceased maintaining the water pumping and purification equipment for Chapel View, leaving residents buying bottled water for consumption.
Sean Hayden, spokesperson for the Chapel View Resident’s Association, commented: “The residents of Chapel View are very angry about the situation we find ourselves in. Aside from the clear failings by GMB and Kilkenny County Council, the question has also arisen as to why none of these issues were brought to light by the various solicitors who did conveyancing for Chapel View.
“We would love to see this issue resolved quickly and with minimum pain but, as an association, we are not ruling out any action at this juncture,” Mr Hayden added.
