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Views sought on proposals for developer contributions to help fund necessary improvements to wastewater infrastructure.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has launched a consultation on Developer Contributions for Wastewater Infrastructure seeks your views on whether and, if so, how DfI should introduce developer contributions to help fund necessary improvements to our wastewater infrastructure.

When a developer in Northern Ireland wants to build housing and wishes to connect to the Northern Ireland Water network, they contact NI Water to enquire if there is capacity in its network to cope with any new demands that the proposed development may create. NI Water can then apply their pre-planning and pre-development enquiry process to advise on any constraints or capacity issues in the area.

If there is a wastewater capacity issue in relation to a housing development, NI Water will then work with the developer to identify what works would be required to enable a wastewater connection to be made. It may be possible in certain circumstances for these works to be completed and paid for by the developer. NI Water is, however, currently precluded by law from accepting direct payments from developers for connections to the NI Water network for the provision of sewerage services for a dwelling where the required improvement involves the upgrading of an existing NI Water asset.

The consultation is seeking views on whether this position should change and, specifically, on options for DfI to introduce arrangements for developer contributions to help fund the wastewater infrastructure improvements that will release capacity in the wastewater system, thereby enabling more wastewater connections.

The consultation proposes two potential options:

• Voluntary Developer Contributions for Wastewater Infrastructure – developers could voluntarily pay to offset the costs of upgrading or replacing the wastewater infrastructure preventing new connections in the specific areas where they are unable to build.
• Compulsory Developer Wastewater Contribution Levy – introduction of a compulsory wastewater levy, requiring a financial contribution from developers which would be used on prioritised needs basis across the whole of the North of Ireland, not just in the areas where they would directly benefit.

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First publsihed 27 March 2025.