A long-time advocate for the must-needed scheme to get under way, Councillor Muir was delighted when the planning application was given the go-ahead by North Down Borough Council earlier in August.
Councillor Muir said: “Despite repeated assurances from NI Water planned work at Kinnegar to address the sewage problems has yet to commence. Again and again we have been promised action but to date no work has started. Work was first due to commence in 2012 but two years later nothing has happened. I am therefore glad that the Planning Application has finally been approved after being submitted in May 2013.
“With an NI Water official recently informing me that if Planning Permission is given “we will be a position to start work early next month” I look forward to seeing machinery on site to address this long running saga which I have campaigned on since becoming a Councillor in 2010, securing £100,000 to identify the cause in 2010 and then over £3million to rectify.
“After raising issue with Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, Regional Development Minister Danny Kennedy MLA and NI Water officials everyone is aware of the importance of resolving the Kinnegar sewage pollution problem which Holywood residents have endured for far too long.”