Cllr rejects rumours about Oldcastle"s €6m sewerage scheme being halted

'RUMOURS' about Oldcastle"s €6 million sewerage scheme being halted are damaging the town"s future chances of attracting inward investment for commercial and residential development, Cllr Michael Lynch has claimed. He said he had been approached by several locals concerned about the rumours, which he had checked both with the Department of the Environment and Meath County Council, and found that they were without foundation. The sewerage scheme tenders are being examined and the project is set to be completed by 2010, with the new Cavan Road plant capable of catering for a population of over 3,500, he said. The tender for the relay line works on Cloughan stream were also currently being examined, he explained, and that work would shortly proceed, finally bringing an end to overflow problems in the Cloughan Street area. Cllr Lynch noted that the €2 million works on the Patrickstown Road main approach near Summerbank Lane was also set for completion in mid-December. The rumours of the sewerage scheme being stopped were malicious and were clearly coming from a political direction, added the veteran Fianna Fáil councillor. The department had made clear to him the scheme was progressing slightly ahead of schedule and preparatory works were already underway. He welcomed the completion of the recent maximisation project on the existing scheme, which slightly increased capacity to the 35 year-old works. Attempts to spread such false rumours were particularly vexing at a time when north Meath was 'expanding its sanitary services so effectively', said Cllr Lynch. Oldcastle and Kells were getting major sewerage and water works, while Athboy, Moynalty and Kilmainhamwood"s sewerage schemes were already 'well advanced', he said.