Limerick County Council grants permission for 8.5-hectare solar farm at Coolaboy Dromcollogher, Co. Limerick

In context

It is one of 21 solar farm applications Limerick County Council has received in the past twelve months, against 339 nationally. Of the 573 such applications decided by councils in the past three years, 92% were granted.

What happens next

The applicant, or anyone who made a submission on the application, can appeal the decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála within four weeks of 16 July 2026. If no appeal is lodged, the council’s decision stands and a final grant issues. The applicant sought a 10-year permission, which sets how long they have to start the development.

The development description, as lodged

Verbatim from the Limerick County Council register. This is the source for every figure in the story above.

Uisce Éireann intends to apply for a 10-year planning permission to construct a new wastewater treatment plant (WwTP) at Coolaboy, Dromcollogher, Co. Limerick. The Proposed Development will comprise the construction of a new WwTP to provide treatment capacity for a population equivalent (PE) of 1,350 (10 years) and 1,550 (30 years). The wastewater will be treated and discharged via an outfall pipe into the River Deel at a location approximately 6.5 kilometres to the northwest of the WwTP. The outfall pipe will be located primarily in public roads in the townlands of Coolaboy, Mundellihy, Ballinlongig, Cloonmore and Tulligmacthomas. The existing WwTP will be decommissioned and demolished upon completion of the Proposed Development. The Proposed Development will comprise: i) Development of a new preliminary wastewater treatment plant including infrastructure such as bypass channels and screens; grit and fats, oils, greases (FOG) removal plant; storm water overflow tank; sludge drying reed beds; flash mixer chamber; return liquor pumping station facilities; caustic and ferric dosing storge tanks; flow to full treatment (FFT) pumping station; final settlement tank flow split chamber; 2 no. final clarifiers; sludge draw off chamber (return-activated sludge and waste-activated sludge pumping station); static mixer; wash water pumping station; tertiary disk filter; and final effluent pumping station. ii) Development of an ESB sub-station, control building, and fuel tank. iii) Provision of approx. 54m of new gravity sewer to direct flows to the new WwTP. This will replace an existing combined sewer overflow which will be decommissioned after the process switchover. iv) Provision of adequate site lighting, access gates, access stairs, walkways, car parking and electric charging facilities, and site boundary hedging and fencing. v) Provision of photovoltaic (PV) panels on the site of the existing WwTP following its decommissioning. vi) Provision of site drainage infrastructure including a hydrocarbon interceptor, construction of outfall pipe along public roads, and headwall in Tulligmacthomas. vii) Realignment and widening of existing site entrance, including provision of a new access road into the site and a bridge within the site. viii) All hard and soft landscaping throughout the site, and all associated and ancillary site works. The Proposed Development will be accompanied by a Natura Impact Statement (NIS)