Mullingar and Athlone on Uisce Éireann priority list

Mullingar and Athlone have been identified among 72 priority locations for investment under a new €2 billion Uisce Éireann programme aimed at unlocking housing development and supporting growing communities.

The two Westmeath towns are included in the list of locations where additional investment in water and wastewater infrastructure is intended to provide capacity for new homes and economic development.

Athlone is one of just five Regional Growth Centres identified for priority investment nationally, alongside Drogheda, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo.

Mullingar is included among 32 Key Towns identified in regional and local development plans, alongside towns including Longford, Tullamore and Portlaoise.

Uisce Éireann said the 72 locations were selected following a review of national, regional and local development plans, focusing on areas where significant growth is planned and where investment can have the greatest impact. The €2 billion allocation forms part of the government’s National Development Plan and is additional to €10.2 billion already secured by Uisce Éireann for water and wastewater investment.

Of the new funding, €1.7 billion will be directed towards priority growth locations, while a further €300 million will support housing and development in rural communities.

Uisce Éireann said the investment would help provide greater certainty for local authorities, developers and other stakeholders about where water and wastewater capacity can support housing growth.

Sean Laffey, Asset Management and Sustainability director at Uisce Éireann, said the funding would help create the infrastructure needed to support new homes and allow communities to “grow and thrive”.

The programme is intended to support thegovernment’s target of delivering 300,000 new homes by 2030.