Planning permission refused

The reason given for not granting the planning permission was:

"The proposed development is premature due to a lack of capacity in the Cloughjordan sewage plant and the pending upgrading of the plant. Notwithstanding the fact that the on-site waste water treatment plant has been commissioned on site, and given the existing capacity of the Cloughjordan sewage scheme, it is considered that the residential development cannot be served by the on-site effluent treatment facility prior to its certification. Therefore, to grant permission for development would be prejudicial to public health."

What needs to be done is:
1. Get the waste treatment plant approved (continue the operational work and sampling the discharge from the plant)
2. Apply for planning permission for the waste treatment plant
3. Apply for a discharge licence
4. Apply to connect to the public main - it is connected and the connection was supervised by the County Council but the ecovillage never put in a formal application to do this.

At the moment, who will take these steps forward and when they may be completed is not clear.

The council's view is that ...as a result of the current situation they are unable to grant further connections to the sewer network in Cloughjordan until the matter is fully resolved or unless the applicants are able to demonstrate alternative treatment methods for individual sites that are acceptable to the Planning Authority.

We are wondering if a septic tank could be an alternative solution.