View our CGI Model Video

As part of the consultation, Atkins have developed an interactive model of the proposed Wastewater Pumping Station. We have provided a video that will give you a sense of the location and scale of the proposed station. Please click below to view the video in greater detail.

Before and after images of the site

Welcome to the Sydenham Wastewater Pumping Station, where innovation meets sustainability in the realm of wastewater management.

This much-needed state-of-the-art facility will provide the Sydenham area of East Belfast with an effective and efficient wastewater collection system to protect against flooding and enhance the environment.

Caption: Before and after images looking North towards the proposed development site at the King George V playing fields with Park Avenue visible on the right-hand side. (Move slider to view before and after).

Caption: Before and after CGIs looking North towards the top end of the King George V playing fields with the Sydenham By-Pass visible at the top of the image and the Connswater River on the right-hand side. (Move slider to view before and after).

Caption: Before and after CGIs looking North towards the sites from the junction of Park Avenue and Kimona Drive. (Move slider to view before and after).

Caption: Before and after CGI’s of the new Wastewater Pumping Station viewed from the junction of Park Avenue and Kimona Street. (Move slider to view before and after).

Caption: Before & after CGIs looking South West from Park Avenue (Move slider to view before and after).

Q&A

About the applicant & development team

  • This project is being brought forward by Northern Ireland Water as part of the Living With Water infrastructure investment programme.

  • Belfast City Council will play a number of roles as the project progresses.

    Planning

    The detailed planning application will be submitted to Belfast City Council Planning Department. In their role as the statutory planning authority the planning department will manage the statutory planning process and determine the planning application.

    Wider Council (Non-planning role)

    The Council, including elected reps for the area, will also be kept up to date throughout the development.

  • This project is being brought forward to address a number of critical wastewater, capacity and flooding issues present in East Belfast.

  • The project, and all statutory approvals, will be funded through NI Water’s Price Control (PC) 21 Programme of Work as part of the Living with Water Programme. More information on this programme can be found here: https://www.niwater.com/major-infrastructure-detail/10034/The-Living-with-Water-Programme-LWWP/

About the proposals

  • The site for the proposed WwPS is to the northern end of the King George V Playing Fields.

    The new WwPS, temporary works area and access road are located on the western bank of the Connswater River within the King George V Playing Fields. Most of the facility will be sited within the north eastern corner of the site, in an area which currently consists of mown grass and shrubbery, and previously developed lands.

    The existing WwPS on the eastern bank of the Connswater River on Park Avenue will be decommissioned and the area landscaped following completion of the new pumping station.

  • The proposed development includes four main elements:

    • construction of a new WwPS, control building and access road;

    • construction of a temporary access road and construction compound to support the construction of the new WwPS;

    • decommissioning of the existing WwPS at Park Avenue; and

    • restoration of the existing WwPS as a landscaped area.

  • Significantly reduces the likelihood of flooding following periods of prolonged rain and/raising sea levels. WwPS no longer directly adjacent to residential properties – level of separation between the two land uses.

  • Increased capacity to better deal with storm and foul water which in turn will help support new development in the immediate area.

About the Living with Water Programme

  • The Living with Water Programme (LWWP) is a multi-agency initiative headed by the Department for Infrastructure to develop a Strategic Drainage Infrastructure Plan (SDIP) for Belfast to support economic growth, protect the environment and address flood risk.

Design

  • A suite of technical information has also been prepared to assess the baseline environmental context of the site.

    Each baseline sets out the key findings and identifies what further assessments will be required to support the full planning application. The outputs from these initial assessments indicate that the development proposals do not give rise to any significant environmental impacts. There are short term impacts during the construction phase which can be mitigated to an acceptable level and by using high quality materials and appropriate design solutions. Noise and odour impacts from the operational facility will represent an improvement against the current baseline.

    A full list of the assessments which have been undertaken and include:

    • Odour Assessment

    • Air Quality Assessment

    • Cultural Heritage Assessment

    • Water Resources Assessment

    • Construction & Operation Noise and Vibration Assessment

    • Preliminary Sources Study Report (PSSR)

    • Ground Gas Risk Assessment

    • Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA)

    • Outline Construction Environmental Management Plan (oCEMP)

    • Arboriculture info (Phillip Blackstock) – includes: Arboriculture Impact Statement, Tree Survey & Report, Tree Constraints Plan and Tree Survey Report Sheet.

    • Flood Risk and Drainage Assessment

    • Transport Assessment Form (TAF)

Site Access

  • A temporary access road will be created to the rear of Parkgate Gardens to provide access for construction traffic while ensuring that there is no change to the current access arrangements for householders living in Parkgate Gardens.

    The temporary access road will be required for a period of approximately 3 years (Q4 2024 to Q2 2027) while the new WwPS is constructed, and the old WwPS is decommissioned. It is important to note, that high volumes of traffic will not be using the access road daily. There will be short periods during the construction phase when vehicular trips to site will be high. These periods will be largely confined to normal working hours.

    A permanent access road to the new facility will be created from the entrance way of the park at Parkgate Gardens. This roadway will only be used by maintenance vehicles visiting the station.

  • As part of the planning application, a Transport Assessment Form (TAF) has been completed. Most of the traffic generated will be during the construction of the civil and structural phases. It is estimated that construction of the WwPS will take in the region of 32 months comprising 24 months for construction and 8 months for mechanical and electrical installation.

    Most of the traffic generated will be during the construction phase from the transportation of construction staff and transportation of material quantities to and from the site.

    Once complete, the operational phase of the WwPS will be minimal with approximately 5-6 journeys per week to undertake observation and maintenance tasks. On this basis, there is likely to be a negligible impact to traffic in the area surrounding the development site.

  • An assessment of the project traffic movements to and from the site will be provided for this application.

Planning and Delivery

  • The application is anticipated to be submitted towards the later stages of 2023.

  • Subject to planning permission being granted it is anticipated that the construction process can begin later in 2024.

Consultation and Feedback

  • As the project is considered a ‘major planning application’ we have submitted a proposal of application notice (PAN) to Belfast City Council, beginning a period of formal community consultation before a planning application is submitted later this year.

    Feedback received will be analysed and will be used to inform the final planning application. A Pre-application community consultation report will be submitted alongside the planning application.

  • As part of the Pre-Application Community Consultation (PACC) process, we will place a public notice in the Belfast Telegraph on June 22nd 2023 containing details of the proposed public information event. We will launch a consultation website which will contain the details of the proposals, feedback methods and Public Information Event details. This will launch on Thursday 22nd June 2023. We will also run a series of social media ads from 22nd June 2023 – 29th June 2023 to publicise the consultation website and feedback mechanisms. Finally, we will also be distributing a leaflet to all residents and businesses withing 300m of the site and a letter to the immediate neighbours to the site to update them on the proposals and the consultation methods and provisions.

  • This consultation is open to all members of the public and we welcome feedback from members of the public, neighbouring businesses and elected representatives.

  • There are a number of additional ways you can comment. You can do this by:

    Email: contact@sydenhamwwconsultation.co.uk

    Online: Completing the online feedback form here or join a live chat on the website (www.sydenhamwwconsultation.co.uk)

    Consultation Hotline: 0808 1688 296

    Post: Send a letter to: Sydenham Waste Water Consultation, Turley, Hamilton House, 3 Joy Street, Belfast, BT2 8LE.

  • Feedback to the pre-application period closes on Friday 28th July 2023. Once the application has been submitted comments can be made to the Belfast City Council Planning Department.

  • All feedback submitted will be summarised in a Pre-Application Community Consultation Report which will be submitted alongside the planning application. Personal details will not be shared with a third party and we will not contact you in relation to any other project or for marketing purposes. The information you provide will be stored securely until determination of the planning applications. Following determination, this information will be deleted. Unless you have indicated otherwise, we will not contact you about this development.

  • Ultimately the planning application will be determined by the Belfast City Council Planning Committee, comprised of local elected representatives. This decision will follow the statutory planning process whereby all statutory consultees will provide comment on the application. During the process the public will be able to view all information online and comment if they wish. The Council’s planning department will make a recommendation to the Belfast City Council Planning Committee who then consider the application on its planning merits.

Construction

  • It is estimated that construction of the WwPS will take in the region of 32 months comprising 24 months for construction and 8 months for mechanical and electrical installation. This schedule is subject to variation and change as planning, design & construction progresses.

  • IF106 Integrated Team formed by Farrans Construction (Civil Contractor), AECOM (Designer) and TES/CAW (Process Design Contractor) will be delivering the project on behalf of NI Water.

  • A detailed construction management plan will be developed once the design phase has been concluded. This will be managed by the project team who have delivered similar projects and have experience of the local area.

  • Onsite monitoring will be in place with a proactive approach to ensure minimal disruption. Chosen construction methods will support the management using acoustic barriers and dust suppression techniques if required.

  • NI Water and its project team will use various means to ensure that local stakeholders are kept up to date with information on the project at key times. Communication methods will include letter drops, social media posts, website updates, press/elected rep briefings, door-to-door visits etc.

Have your say

Your views are important to us and will help shape the proposals, please click the button below to leave your feedback.

Download an information pack

Click here to download an information park which provides an overview of the project.

You can also download a copy of the residents letter here.

Order a proposal pack

If you would like to order a printed hard copy of our proposals, please call us on our Freephone hotline 0808 1688 296. We can also share a proposal pack via email.

To order one, simply click here to send an email requesting a digital information pack.

Give us a call

If you would like a member of the team to explain our proposals over the phone, you can call our Freephone consultation hotline on 0808 1688 296. A member of the team will call you back and will be able to answer any questions you have about the development.

Chat to our Team

You can use the live chat function on this website to talk to a member of the project team who will be available Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm to respond to your queries.

Come along to our Public Information Event

We will be hosting a public information event at Dee Street Community Centre, 12-16 Dee St, Belfast BT4 1FT, from 2-6pm on Thursday 29th June 2023. Members of the project team will be on hand to listen to your comments and answer any questions that you may have about the application.