NI Water has announced the start of a major flood alleviation project to upgrade the sewerage infrastructure and substantially reduce the risk of out-of-sewer flooding in the Marguerite Park area of South Belfast.

NI Water is investing £8 million in Phase 1 of the major infrastructure project – the utility has appointed BSG Civil Engineering Ltd. as the main contractor.

Site preparation works will commence within the grounds of Musgrave Park & Musgrave Park Hospital in March, with the main construction works due to get underway in April 2021. NI Water anticipates that it will take up to 2 years to complete all work.

The work will involve constructing over 1.3km of new large diameter sewer. The new sewer will be constructed from the ‘Grovelands’ area of Musgrave Park through the park grounds/Musgrave Park Hospital/Malone Integrated College, crossing under the railway line and through private lands into Diamond Gardens/Marguerite Park and Donegal Park.

A large proportion of the new sewer within the grounds of Musgrave Park / Musgrave Park Hospital and Malone Integrated College will be constructed using underground ‘trenchless tunnelling’ techniques. This method of construction will also reduce the number of construction vehicles visiting site, further reducing disruption to the public. The water company will also tunnel under the main Belfast to Dublin Railway line, avoiding the need for any closures.

Welcoming the scheme, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon said:

“This £8m scheme will be welcome news for the local community, particularly as it is an area which has been prone to previous flooding.

“This investment will increase capacity of the existing network, reducing the risk of out-of-sewer flooding and associated environmental pollution, which I hope brings some comfort and reassurance to homeowners in this area.

“This is part of the Living with Water Programme (LWWP) for Greater Belfast which I recently consulted on. The LWWP presents how we can work together to deliver integrated sustainable solutions by managing and addressing future flood risk needs across Belfast so that our environment will be enhanced and our local economy can grow.”

Mark Sefton, NI Water Project Manager added:

“NI Water is pleased to be commencing this major Flood Alleviation Project under the Living with Water Programme which will bring real benefits to the local community.

“NI Water appreciates that these major works will be disruptive to the local community and would like to assure the public that we have worked closely with our key Stakeholders during the planning stages to choose a route and construction method which will allow normal daily activities to continue.”

NI Water and contractor BSG Civil Engineering Ltd. will continue to liaise closely with key stakeholders throughout the major programme of work.