Getting an Irish Water connection can be a time consuming and challenging part of completing a social housing development.
The earlier that you engage with Irish Water about a new connection the more likely it is that you will be in a position to meet your timelines. We strongly advise contacting Irish Water at an early stage and completing a connection application. If the application is not completed correctly this can be a difficult and time-consuming process which can cause long delays to a proposed development.
It is our recommendation that you submit your Connection Application form as soon as you have secured planning permission. Irish Water will then assess your application to confirm that it is still feasible, and we will calculate the least cost design solution for you. This applies to housing developments only or where public infrastructure is to be Taken in Charge. Irish Water can work with you to vet the design of local infrastructure.
Irish Water will issue you with an offer to connect, detailing costs and the works required to enable your connection. The average timeline from Application to Connection Offer is 16 weeks.
You can enter into a connection agreement with Irish Water by accepting the terms and conditions as set out in the offer, and by making the required payment.
Once the offer has been accepted the quality assurance of assets to be taken in charge in the future upon connection can commence, this will be completed through inspections of the infrastructure as it is installed. Details about the exact works that Irish Water requires you to carry out to make your physical connection will be outlined in your connection offer. Irish Water will issue a welcome pack to you once the physical connection has been confirmed by the developer, and when the connection works have been completed.
This welcome pack will outline the procedure to follow in the event of a resale of the property. Before the physical connection can be completed you are required to secure a road opening licence. From securing a Road Opening Licence to completing a connection takes on average 12 weeks. Once you have completed each of these required steps to the standards required by Irish Water you will be connected.
No compliance, No connection!
If you are at the pre-planning phase of your development we recommend completing a Pre-connection Enquiry. This will establish what will be required in order to establish a water connection. To fill out this form you’ll need:
- The map locating the site connection
- The site layout map indicating the preferred connection point for each service (water, waste water). Please note that an approximate connection point is a minimum requirement (if available)
If you have already applied for planning permission you should complete a connection application. To complete this form, you will need the following documentation:
- A location map with the site boundary outlined in red (scale 1:2500)
- The site layout map indicating the preferred connection point for each service (water, waste water)
- Your planning permission number
Once you have completed your application and Irish Water have issued you with a connection agreement you are required to complete all the associated works to the highest standards. You are required to compile a quality assurance folder for Irish water to ensure this. This folder should detail every aspect of the connection from the agreement, materials used, correspondence and meeting minutes. The following is a full list of sections required for your quality assurance folder:
- Connection Agreement, Drawings and Specifications.
- Grant of Planning
- Work Programme, Inspection & Test Plan
- Training Records of Specialist Site Personnel
- Equipment Certification
- Material Records including Certification & Specifications
- As-Constructed Records of Works
- Testing & Commissioning Records
- Wayleaves / Land Acquisition
- Correspondence, Minutes of Meetings, etc.
SOCIAL HOUSING CO. have the skills and experience necessary to compile all the relevant information necessary to establish an Irish Water connection. We can ensure that this stage of the process is completed in a timely and efficient manner that will ultimately ensure your profit margins remain unaffected by costly delays.