Page 8 - Chief Executive Report - July 2022

PLANNING ENVIRONMENT

• The 2021 levy is now due and payment Climate Action
demands have issued. Measures are now The Council’s Acorn Nursery is situated at
being taken to pursue the non-payment of the side of County Hall. Native acorns were
levies.
• For 2022, the emphasis will be on the gathered to celebrate the October staff wellness
event which was a collaboration between the
activation of sites currently on the Register, Council’s Health and Safety Department and
the pursuit of levies due, and ongoing the Environment Section.
monitoring.
• Guidelines on the Residential Zoned Land Last month, Maura Brennan, the founder of
Tax were published at the end of June; we the Acorn Project which is established within
now have to begin the process of mapping the River Nore Basin, completed a wellness
lands in scope for this tax. session with previous participants, feed the
Conservation acorn box with organic seaweed fertiliser and
The Conservation Office manages all protected instructed the participants how to care for the
structures in Kilkenny County and City. These acorn nursery. The nursery will remain in situ
structures are recognised for the following for 18 months and oak saplings will then be
special interest: Architectural, Historical, removed and planted locally.
Archaeological, Artistic, Cultural, Scientific,
Technical, Social.
Recommended Minimum Criteria for Environmental Inspections (RMCEI)
An advisory service on conservation matters is Individuals whose systems have failed
delivered to the public and colleagues, while the Domestic Wastewater Treatment inspection can contact the staff member from
conservation grants and funding applications Systems under the National Inspection the Environment Section who completed the
are also delivered. Plan (NIP) septic tank inspection or via

For the month of June, the Conservation Office Kilkenny County Council carry out routine environment@kilkennycoco.ie in order
to confirm their eligibility for a septic tank grant.
has compiled reports on the following annual inspections of Domestic Wastewater
Planning Referrals - 2 Treatment Systems under the NIP. 58
Further Information requests – 1 Inspections were planned for 2022. 46
Clarification of Further Information requests – 0 Inspections have been completed to date. A
Section 57 Declarations – 3 failed inspection may mean that the system
Section 5 Declarations - 0 poses a potential risk to Public Health and the
Conservation Grants Environment.
All approved Built Heritage Investment Scheme Out of the 46 Inspections completed to date:

and Historic Structures Fund grant projects • 17 passed Inspection; and
have commenced. • 28 failed Inspection, 9 of which require
Building Control major works in the form of completely new
Valid commencement notices submitted - 197 treatment systems or new infiltration areas. New Cover provided to existing Septic Tank
for the first 6 months of 2022 following inspection
June 2022 number of valid notices received - 34 Typical issues encountered or matters to be Environment Complaints
(an increase on the previous month’s number of addressed: All complaints are logged on the CRM
24 applications) • Desludging; (Customer Relations Management) System.
• Broken or damaged covers leading to water The number of complaints being received &
ingress; logged by Environment staff for investigation
• Rainwater gullies discharging to septic for the first six months of 2022 is 504
tanks; compared with 723 for the same period last
• Discharges from septic tanks directly to a year (i.e. down circa 30%). The nature of
watercourse / river; these complaints ranges from littering, illegal
• Failed percolation areas with effluent dumping, water quality and abandoned cars.
backing up in distribution boxes; and However, the vast majority continue to be
• Septic Tanks which could not be located on related to littering and illegal dumping.
site.
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